Oct 21
Drastic reductions would likely boost “offensive” content like porn, falsehoods and hate-filled attacks as more posts go unsupervised.
Oct 21
Tesla EVs revolve around the latest tech, but they lack one of the most common ways drivers navigate: with Android Auto. This hack changes things.
Oct 21
A former gynecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles has been found guilty on five counts in a sexual abuse case in a Los Angeles court.
Oct 21
Most of Twitter’s staff may find themselves out of work if Elon Musk completes his proposed takeover of the company, at least according to a new leak.
Oct 21
The office of Texas State Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit against Google over the company’s alleged years-long practices to capture and use of biometric data from, “millions of Texans without properly obtaining their informed consent to do so.” This is allegedly a violation of the state’s Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act of 2009.
The AG argues that Google used features in its Photos and Assistant apps, as well as through Nest Hub Max hardware, to scan and store the facial and voice data without first acquiring user consent. Furthermore, Paxton alleges, Google then leveraged that data for commercial gain by using it to train the company’s machine learning algorithms.
“Google’s indiscriminate collection of the personal information of Texans, including very sensitive information like biometric identifiers, will not be tolerated,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in the Thursday press release. “I will continue to fight Big Tech to ensure the privacy and security of all Texans.”
This is far from the first time that Paxton, who is up for re-election in November, has targeted Alphabet and its subsidiaries. His office filed a suit in January, “for engaging in false and misleading practices in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices—Consumer Protection Act,” and then again less than a week later for, “systematically misleading and deceiving Texas consumers in violation of Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act.”
Paxton’s office is asking the court for a permanent injunction in the case. This would prohibit Google from “capturing, maintaining, or using in any way the biometric identifiers captured in Texas” or “performing voice or facial recognition in Texas” without the informed consent of the relevant individual as well as invoke a $25,000-per-infraction fine against the search company.
Update (1:21pm ET 10/20/22): Google has issued a statement regarding the lawsuit. José Castañeda, a spokesperson for the company, told Engadget via email, “AG Paxton is once again mischaracterizing our products in another breathless lawsuit. For example, Google Photos helps you organize pictures of people, by grouping similar faces, so you can easily find old photos. Of course, this is only visible to you and you can easily turn off this feature if you choose and we do not use photos or videos in Google Photos for advertising purposes. The same is true for Voice Match and Face Match on Nest Hub Max, which are off-by-default features that give users the option to let Google Assistant recognize their voice or face to show their information. We will set the record straight in court.”
Oct 21
Facebook is giving Groups a tune-up with new features, not to mention tools to ensure healthy discussions. Like it or not, Reels are coming to Groups — members can share how-to guides, vacation recaps and other videos using the seemingly omnipresent format. You can also update your Group profile to share things you might have in common, and signal that you’re open to messages. And if you want to broadcast an event, you can share public Facebook events as Instagram Stories.
The social media behemoth is also making it easier to curb the spread of misinformation within Groups. Admins can automatically move posts with known false claims (that is, verified by fact checkers) to pending posts so they can be reviewed before they’re deleted. While leaders could already auto-decline posts and even auto-block posters, this could help them spot trends in bogus content and help make decisions on bans.
Meta
There are efforts to promote conversations, too. Facebook is testing an extension (shown at top) that lets admins allow content that might otherwise be flagged for bullying and harassment, such as describing a fish as “fatty.” This will only be available to actively involved admins who haven’t either helmed a removed group or committed a serious policy violation. In another test, admins can reward contributions by giving points to community members. You may get badges for welcoming newcomers or providing useful tips, for example.
The changes are both an effort to spur positive engagement and an acknowledgment that Groups have sometimes been the source of Facebook’s largest misinformation problems. It put some communities on probation for spreading false 2020 election claims, and banned hundreds of QAnon groups. The ability to allow certain flagged content is unusual — effectively, Facebook is willing to let Groups override its moderation system if they feel there’s been a mistake.
Oct 21
Moogerfoogers are among some of the most sought after effects pedals out there. They were originally introduced in 1998 and were in many ways direct descendants of some of the original Moog synth modules. They were discontinued in 2018, but even during their lifespan they could be difficult to get a hold of thanks to limited production. Because of this they command quite the premium on the used market, with the MF-104 Analog Delay sometimes fetching north of $1,500.
But just four years after pulling the plug, Moog is bringing the family back to life, just as a series of plugins that digitally recreate the original pedals. All seven – the MF-101S Lowpass Filter, MF-102S Ring Modulator, MF-103S 12-Stage Phaser, MF-104S Analog Delay, MF-105S MuRF, MF-107S FreqBox, and MF-108S Cluster Flux – are available as part of a single collection for $249. Though, Moog is offering the bundle at an introductory price of $149, which is not a bad deal.
I’ve had a few days to play with them at this point, and in general I’m pretty impressed. But I do want to be clear that I have never had the pleasure of playing any of the original pedals. I can’t tell you how convincingly the plugin version of Cluster Flux recreates the real deal. I can only tell you that, as plugins, they’re pretty solid.
Moog
The MF-104S Delay is an obvious standout. It pretty convincingly recreates the sound of an analog BBD (bucket brigade delay). It, like all the rest of the plugins has a UI that recreates the look of its physical counterpart. There’s footswitches at the bottom, plus an array of knobs and switches across the face for changing parameters. You can also click the CV button to expose virtual inputs that would normally be used to connect to other modular gear. Here they expose ways for your DAW or other plugins to control the Moogerfooger for some truly out there sounds.
This ability to be controlled by, or control other gear has always been a selling point of the Moogerfoogers. As has their builtin LFOs. Being able to modulate parameters easily allowed them to make sounds that other effects pedals really couldn’t. But in the world of audio plugins, it’s pretty standard. Moog makes it easier than some others, where you might have to manually map the controls you want to automate. But it’s not really a huge differentiator.
Like most of the plugins, the MF-104 can do subtle, such as the preset named for Mort Garson’s classic Plantasia album, but really excels at the weirder end of the spectrum. Constantly shifting delay times, cranking the drive, or using the LFO to slowly raise the feedback level until you get a crescendo of noise and then sharply pulling it back down create the sort of textures that other effects might struggle to conjure without some outside help.
The MF-105S MuRF is another highlight. It’s hard to describe exactly what it does, but it’s basically a bank of resonant filters that you can control using an onboard pattern generator. This can create phasing or flanging type effects, or a sort of complex wah, or even a tremolo. There’s few things in the world quite like it. It can even turn something simple and melodic into a sharp rhythm track.
The 107-FreqBox is probably the lowlight of the collection for me. It’s a collection of synced oscillators with FM modulation. It does harsh, cold and weird relatively well. But I found most of the factory presets to be almost unusable. So much of the effect relies on distorted and overdriven sounds, and that’s an area that I think Moog could greatly improve here across the board.
Lastly, it’s worth talking about MF-101 Low Pass Filter and MF-108 Cluster Flux. (The phaser and ring modulator are fine, but more or less just do what it says on the box.) The low pass filter is a solid recreation of the iconic filter that makes a Moog synth sound like a Moog synth. Except here it’s easy to apply to guitar, bass or even vocals. The Cluster Flux is a flanger, a chorus and a vibrato all in one. It can cover everything from lo-fi tape warbles, to thick 80s chorus for that goth kid drowning in his own tears vibe.
The Moogerfooger Effects plug-ins are available now and come in AUv2, VST3, and AAX formats, so they’ll work whether you’re using GarageBand on your MacBook or ProTools on your Windows PC.
Oct 21
Welcome back, gentle reader, to the second installment of Hitting the Books Quarterly. This time around we’ve got a seven-layer dip of delicious literature for you, starting with a harrowing investigation into the heart of California’s firestorms, followed by some sage advice for best burning your Facebook bridges, and then a chance to wave goodbye to Earth’s billionaire class as they race off for the stars, hopefully never to return. But that’s not all, we’ve got some stellar sci-fi titles to share too, as well as The Dawn of Everything which Engadget Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar describes as “dense, but worth a read for sure.”
Portfolio
California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What It Means for America’s Power Grid – Katherine Blunt (Amazon)
California wildfires caused an estimated $80 billion in property damage in 2021 alone, they’re only getting worse, and the state’s utility company, Pacific Gas and Electric, seems to be doing anything but helping. Following years of neglected maintenance, PG&E’s infrastructure has started numerous deadly blazes in recent years, exacerbating an already existential climate crisis. In California Burning, Pulitzer-nominated WSJ journalist Katherine Blunt dives into the utility’s sordid history of putting profits over public safety. Decades of mismanagement have led California to this point, Blunt’s deeply researched narrative explains why. I had originally looked at this title for the regular excerpt column but the dang thing reads like a Grisham novel. Make sure you block off an afternoon because you won’t be able to put this one down.
Headline Books
James Acaster’s Guide to Quitting Social Media – James Acaster (Amazon)
With the general level of suck in the world today, we could all probably do with a laugh and to get off the internet for a while — touching grass and whatnot. Comedian James Acaster’s newest book, James Acaster’s Guide to Quitting Social Media, Being the Best You You Can Be and Saving Yourself from Loneliness Vol 1, does both. You will laugh (probably) and get off the internet because you will be reading a book about how he quit social media in 2019 and how you can do the same while still saving yourself from loneliness. Brilliant.
FSG Adult
Everything I Need I Get from You – Kaitlyn Tiffany (Amazon)
Fans, stans, and boybands, oh my. Everything I Need I Get from You is a fascinating look at the superfan subculture surrounding modern pop music acts from Atlantic staff writer Kaitlyn Tiffany. Fanclubs have been around since the Roman era but the advent of social media has enabled fandom to a startlingly granular degree. Today’s superfans know what foods the Jonas brothers are allergic to, have lore and inside jokes that only other members of the BTS ARMY will understand, and routinely engage in light subterfuge to game play charts into featuring their favorite stars. Tiffany also explores the influence that these hyper-connected cadres of vivaciously like-minded people have on internet culture as a whole, like why we spent weeks looking for Becky with the good hair.
WW Norton
Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires – Douglas Rushkoff (Amazon)
Let’s not kid ourselves. Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk aren’t developing space flight for the good of humanity, Mark Zuckerberg isn’t pushing his vision of a metaverse for anything resembling altruistic intent. They just want a bolt hole for when things really start going downhill, argues theorist Douglas Rushkoff. In his new book, Survival of the Richest, Rushkoff examines what he dubs “the Mindset,” wherein the world’s ultra-wealthy believe that they and theirs will somehow be able to spend their way out of the coming climate crisis — we plebes be damned — as well as discusses what the rest of us can do while the people with the power to avert it are busy eying the exits.
Tor Books
You Sexy Thing – Cat Rambo (Amazon)
I believe in miracles and you will too with this raucous space opera from sci-fi luminary Cat Rambo. Billed as “Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off,” You Sexy Thing follows the exploits of Niko Larson, the Holy Hive Mind’s disgraced “10-Minute Admiral” as she scrambles to keep her crew of retired-soldiers-turned-kitchen-and-wait-staff safe, together, alive and out of the Hive Mind’s brain jar collective, even as space stations explode around them, sentient bio-ships kidnap them, and vicious space pirates from Larson’s past seek their revenge. Easily some of the best sci-fi I’ve read this year — tightly written with characters you can identify with and a pilot that immediately grabs you by the shorthairs and doesn’t let up. Plus, there are werelions.
Orbit Books
Azura Ghost – Essa Hansen (Amazon)
Emma Hansen just won’t stop writing absolute bangers. Following her phenomenal 2020 debut, the heart-wrenching space opera, Nophek Gloss (which was shortlisted for a Stabby that year), Hansen returns to the Graven multiverse with Azura Ghost. Her sophomore effort catches up a decade after the events of the first book where our protagonist Caiden finds himself, and his sentient starship, still hunted across the stars by the Threi — as is wont to happen when one imprisons the the group’s leadership in an impenetrable pocket universe for 10 years. As the plot unfolds and events push his two greatest enemies into possible alliance, Caiden must reunite with family of his own, and a long-lost friend who probably shouldn’t be trusted, to make his escape.
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity – David Graeber and David Wengrow (Amazon)
Long-held views of early civilizations as either gullible hippies or hulking brutes offer only a monochromatic and shallow understanding of history — one which arose out of an 18th century conservative backlash against brown people asking questions, no less — argue David Graeber and David Wengrow in The Dawn of Everything. They then apparently spend the next 700 or so pages laying out their exhaustive list of evidence drawn from their respective fields of archaeology and anthropology in support of this position.
Oct 21
“Absolutely no one wants to hear what your plan is for their uterus,” the New York lawmaker told the former vice president.
Oct 21
Google is pretty great at creating Easter eggs that cater to a variety of interests. One such hidden gem is reserved for fans of “Star Trek.”
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