Last minute geek

1. Hitting the Books: How big tech might monopolize AI
(English/engadget)

... books on science and technology we can find and... Read all  ...

2. Serious Bluetooth flaw leaves devices open to attack
(English/engadget)

A group of researchers has discovered a critical Bluetooth vulnerability that leaves tons of wireless devices exposed to digital intrusions. The Bluetooth SIG, an organization that oversees the technology's ...

3. CutiePi, a Raspberry Pi-based tablet
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... to make it yours We believe in open source, and we believe people should have control over the technology they use. Everything you see here is open source -- schematics, PCB, drivers, firmware, UI, everything. Specs: ...

4. William Gibson, danah boyd and Oakland Privacy will all receive this year's EFF's Pioneer Award
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... EFF members, or $75 for non-members. I'll be there! danah boyd has consistently been one of the world’s smartest researchers, thinkers, and writers about how technology impacts society, especially ...

5. BMW revives 'lost' concept car
(English/engadget)

Concept cars -- after making the auto show rounds -- typically end up in an automaker's museum. But in 1970, BMW lost a concept car -- it just disappeared. But with today's technology and a whole ...

6. Apple's bulbous, colorful iMac went on sale 21 years ago today
(English/engadget)

At Engadget, we spend every day looking at how technology will shape the future. But it's also important to look back at how far we've come. That's what This Week in Tech History does. Join ...

7. Chevrolet's Menlo EV is a Bolt-based crossover bound for China
(English/engadget)

GM has unveiled a Bolt electric utility vehicle for the Chinese market in a handful of photos presented to the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. According to CarNewsChina, it's ...

8. Amazon says its facial recognition tech can identify fear in people's faces
(English/engadget)

Amazon says its contentious facial recognition technology can now detect fear in people's faces. That makes it the eighth emotion it can identify along with happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust, ...

9. Facial recognition tech misidentified 26 California lawmakers as criminals
(English/engadget)

The ACLU, which wants to ban facial recognition technology in police body cameras, says that its own tests of the technology mistakenly flagged 26 California lawmakers as criminals. More than half of those ...

10. What is a switch, how does it work, and why are they usually clicky?
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

This 15-minute explainer video might be the only video you'll need to learn as much about switches as you'll ever care to find out. Image: YouTube/Technology Connections [via Dooby Brain] Read the rest ...

11. The Past and Future of The Internet: A Symposium for John Perry Barlow
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

The Duke Law and Technology Review has released a special edition dedicated to examining the legal and philosophical legacy of John Perry Barlow: co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation; junior ...

12. DJI's Osmo 3 smartphone gimbal has a travel-friendly folding design
(English/engadget)

DJI continues to improve its smartphone gimbal technology with the launch of the Osmo Mobile 3, a cheaper and more travel-friendly version of its last model. The electronic stabilizer has an all-new folding ...

13. Your phone is a crimewave in your pocket, and it's all the fault of greedy carriers and complicit regulators
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... going on here? And is there any hope that lawmakers or regulators will do anything about these persistent problems? Gigi Sohn, a distinguished fellow at the Georgetown Institute for Technology Law and ...

14. "Evermore": a short technohorror film about the struggle between gratification and equanimity
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

Victoria Hogan writes, "My fiancee and I made a short film about creativity, yearning, and the scary forces of technology that might interact with those desires. More than a few people have called this ...

15. Is AMD's RDNA graphics technology ready to power next-gen consoles?
(English/engadget)

Welcome to the latest episode of Upscaled, our explainer show where we look at the components that make our tech faster. In this episode, we're taking a close look at AMD's RDNA graphics ...

16. The Pegleg: an implanted, meshing, networked mass-storage device that you sew into your skin
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... be used to transport data that the bearer couldn't decrypt. Esha Bhandari, a staff attorney with the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, says a device like the Pegleg raises concerns similar ...

17. US Navy will scrap touchscreen controls on its destroyers
(English/engadget)

The US military normally embraces technology whenever possible. This time, however, it's taking a conspicuous step back. The Navy will ditch touchscreens on destroyers within the next 18 to 24 months, ...

18. Save up to 80% on Sid Meier's Civilization series
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... edition of Civilization arrived in 2016, tweaking and improving the formula on previous iterations with a new technology system and an increased focus on the terrain. A series of DLC releases capitalized ...

19. Russian rocket test explosion leads to radiation leak
(English/engadget)

Russia's military technology push has unfortunately produced deadly consequences. The country's Rosatom has confirmed that five people have died and three injured after an explosion on August ...

20. Hitting the Books: How legendary hackers wound up working for the CIA
(English/engadget)

... books on science and technology we can find and... Read all  ...

21. Pack light for your next trip with this innovative luggage and accessories
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... and often incorporate compression technology to fit more of it in there. If you're planning for one last summer trip, here's a nice list of what to pick up for a total luggage upgrade. Genius Pack Aerial ...

22. Purposely stalling 20% of cars in Manhattan could trigger total gridlock
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... to get from point A to point B,” says Georgia Institute of Technology researcher Peter Yunker who ran a study on the "cyberphysical risks of hacked internet-connected vehicles." From IEEE Spectrum: Not ...

23. The word "robot" originated in this 1921 Czech play
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

In 1920, Czech writer Karel Čapek penned a play titled R.U.R., a cautionary tale about technology's potential to dehumanize. R.U.R. stands for "Rossum’s Universal Robots" and it was this play that introduced ...

24. Billions on the line as Facebook loses appeal over violating Illinois facial recognition law
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... it ultimately loses the case. “We plan to seek further review of the decision,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. “We have always disclosed our use of face recognition technology and that people ...

25. Altice's smart speaker uses Alexa to control your TV set-top box
(English/engadget)

You probably don't associate cable giant Altice USA with the cutting edge of smart home technology, but it's determined to change your mind. The company has unveiled a smart speaker, the Amplify, ...