Justin Robert Young and Nilay Patel join us to talk about the FCC’s notice for proposed rulemaking regarding the Open Internet. Is the Internet f**ed?

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

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If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest: Nilay Patel, managing editor of Vox.com & Justin Robert Young of Night Attack & Weird Things podcast

Headlines

The US FCC held a meeting today in which they discussed expanding spectrum for the use of wireless microphones. Also net neutrality came up which was really just them asking a bunch of vague questions about what they should do and giving everybody 4 months to come up with an answer for them. Slackers.

Business Week reports Xiaomi announced its first tablet and a 4K television on Thursday. The MiPad will come in six colors and cost around $240 for a version with 16 gigabytes, and $275 for a version with 64 gigabytes. The new version of the MiTV will be a 49-inch 4K TV with external speakers for around $645. Both products run the MiUI, which is a customized version of Android. 

The BBC reports that after a European court ruled individuals can force removal of “irrelevant and outdated” links from search results, Google has received fresh requests. A politician seeking re-election wants links about his behavior in office removed. A man convicted of child abuse also wants links to stories about his conviction removed. To be clear the court rules links from search engines should be taken down but the stories themselves cannot be removed at the source. Google has not indicated how they will respond. 

The Next Web reports FourSquare has launched iOS and Android versions of a new app called Swarm. If you’re confused because you thought FourSquare’s Foursquare app did check-ins, you’re wrong. They are removing check-ins from FourSquare, so if you want to check in to places, you need to download Swarm. And in Swarm even lets you skip checking in by enabling passive tracking, which you may have already experienced a version of courtesy of the NSA. Swarm is meant to help you find nearby friends and see if places are swarming. Enjoy.

GigaOm reports HTC announced the HTC One Mini 2. It’s a smaller 4.5-inch version of the M8 with the same design and aluminum-heavy build, but without the special depth-sensing camera. It also has a Snapdragon 400 processor instead of the M8’s 801. The One Mini 2 will be available in grey, silver, and gold, when it goes on sale in June. No price was announced.

CNET reports FlappyBird creator Dong Nguyen told CNBC Wednesday that the game will return, possibly as soon as this August. The updated version will allow players to compete with others in real time. Nguyen also said the game will be less addictive this time. Something that bothered him about the original.

News From You

tekkyn00b sent us the TechCrunch article about OpenDNS getting $35 million in funding from investors. Since 2005 the company has offered an alternative way to resolve domain names. That’s good if you want to avoid ads from your ISP on pages not found, as well as providing potential security benefits. The company also runs a service called Umbrella that protects business users any place they connect tot he Internet on any device, without haing to install local hardware.

A user named geewhipped posted this Mashable story to the subreddit. Google announced a partnership with Zix on Thursday to bring a product called Google Apps Message Encryption aka GAME. For $35 a year the service encrypts email end-to-end. Unlike the previous Google Message Encryption product, which was part of Postini, GAME integrates with Google Apps directly. No need to log into Postini. 

Discussion Section Links: I give you the F.C.C.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/15/5720730/how-to-comment-on-fcc-net-neutrality-proposal

http://gigaom.com/2014/05/15/net-neutrality-2014/

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/05/fcc-votes-for-internet-fast-lanes-but-could-change-its-mind-later/

http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/15/5717928/fcc-votes-on-net-neutrality-proposal-in-may-meeting

http://www.fcc.gov/document/fact-sheet-protecting-and-promoting-open-internet

http://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-launches-broad-rulemaking-protect-and-promote-open-internet

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/15/statement-press-secretary-net-neutrality

http://www.vox.com/2014/5/14/5717142/tsa-precheck-net-neutrality-fast-lanes

Pick of the Day:  PC Part Picker via Matthew from the UK & France

My pick is a site called PCPartPicker.
It’s a one-stop shop for people wanting to build their own custom PCs by letting you “build” your PC with a compatibility checker to ensure you don’t mix things up like putting an Intel CPU in a AMD motherboard or cramming a graphics card into a case that can’t fit it.
The other killer feature it has is price comparison and history. It compares component prices from popular stores such as Amazon and Newegg in the US and others from 7 different countries. Also you can generate Reddit Markups to show Redditers your build and ask for help or BBCode for other forums. If you’re going to build a PC, look no further than PCPartPicker.

Friday’s guests:  Darren Kitchen and Len Peralta

Dr. Kiki is on the show. We’ll talk about quantum positioning that could be 1000 times more accurate than GPS, and the future of the Internet of Things. Will it rob of us free will? Assuming we have it in the first place.

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest: Dr. Kiki Sanford, host of This Week in Science

Headlines

PC Mag reports the Pew Research Center released the next in its 8-part series celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Web, this time asking more than 1600 experts what they think the Internet of Things will turn into by 2025. There are more connected devices than humans right now and that number is growing at a faster rate. As you can imagine, some experts expected cheaper medical diagnostics, improved safety and efficient planning of your day. Others worried about privacy from ubiquitous data collection and security against malicious hackers. Also we might lose our free will. 

Marketwatch reports that Speaker of the House John Boehner and three other House Majority leaders signed a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler warning him not to consider “any plan to impose antiquated regulation on the Internet.” The FCC is meeting tomorrow to vote on a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding Open Internet Guidelines.

Reuters reports, Yahoo is continuing its trend of acquiring small, mobile start-ups by buying Blink, a startup with an app that lets users send messages that will self-destruct at a time set by the sender. I should repeat that again, because it’s possible all you heard was Yahoo & self-destruct. To repeat, Yahoo has bought a cheaper Snapchat. Oh and it’s shutting down the app too. REPEAT just the app. Yahoo is not shutting down. 

The Next Web reports Microsoft will refund Xbox Live Gold memberships starting in June for anybody who was paying the fee just to get apps like Netflix which will become free to access starting in June. You have to wait for the change to take place then you can cancel and receive a pro-rata refund. Other than June, no specific date has been set for the change. 

CNET reports Mozilla has agreed to include the Encrypted Media Extensions standard in the Firefox browser. This makes it easier for copy-protected media to play in the browser. Firefox is the last major player in the browser market to adopt the standard. Because Firefox is open source and by definition a DRM module is not, so the module will be downloaded from Adobe after the browser is installed. 

The Verge reports Samsung officially apologized for the illnesses and deaths of some of its factory workers. CEO Kwon Oh-hyun said “We should have settled the issue earlier, and we are deeply heartbroken that we failed to do so and express our deep apology.” A documentary released last month uncovered 56 cases of leukemia and other blood cancers among Samsung workers. 

Tablets failed for years until someone decided they needed an input system suited to tablets not just a translation of a desktop interface. MIT Technology Review reports on a project at Carnegie Mellon University that allows users to control a smart watch by physically tilting, clicking, and twisting the watch’s bezel. Assistant professor of human-computer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University, Chris Harrison, who worked on the project thinks the issue with smartwatches is that we can’t get the input and output good enough. Harrison is also exploring ways we can control smart watches without even touching them. 

News From You

Our top story on the subreddit was posted by mranthropology. Business Insider reports on Julie and Scott Brusaw’s project in Idaho to prototype an industrial-strength solar panel that could withstand the weight of even the largest trucks. Not only could the panel turn roads into solar power collectors but could potentially power electric vehicles. The project has already received two phases of funding from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. Their company is called Solar Roadways and they’re looking to raise $1 million on Indiegogo.

KAPT_Kipper posted the TechCrunch article that Google has opened up Google Glass for sale to anyone in the US willing to part with $1500. This is still part of the Explorer Program and will only be on sale while supplies last.  

mranthropology sent us the GigaOm story about new data from Sandvine showing Netflix’s share of prime time download traffic on the Internet rising a couple points to 34.21%. YouTube declined to 13.1%. The big new power in traffic hoggery is TWITCH at 1.35% putting them right up there near Hulu’s 1.74% and in front of the much more restricted HBO Go’s 1.24%. Those are all download. The winner in Upload? Bittorrent of course with 24.53% followed by good old HTTP. But Netflix is 4th at 6.44%. Better work on those ratios Reed. 

Discussion Section Links: Quantum Positioning and the Internet of Things
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22229694.000-quantum-positioning-system-steps-in-when-gps-fails.html#.U3Onrq1dXA4

http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/14/russia-threatens-gps-iss/

http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/05/14/internet-of-things/
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2458060,00.asp

http://gigaom.com/2014/05/14/the-internet-of-things-will-end-expired-milk-at-the-store-and-your-free-will/

Pick of the Day:  WSUS Offline Update via Jeremy Dennis

My pick is called WSUS Offline Update. It’s a tool that uses the
Windows Update features of Windows to download all available updates from Microsoft’s servers for the products you select. After
downloading the files it can make an ISO image or output the files to
a folder for use with a USB drive.

I use it on new builds of computers or VMs so I don’t have to babysit
them while getting them up to date. When you run it on the target
system there are options for to automatically restart after rebooting
to continue the update process. It really saves time when you have a
new Windows install and need to do other stuff while it updates.

Thursday’s guest:  Justin Robert Young of Night Attack & Weird Things podcast

Molly Wood is on the show today. We’ll discuss whether the $129 Moto E is a smoking gun, and why Microsoft is backtracking on Kinect Xbox One bundles and the Xbox Live requirement for Netflix.

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest:  Molly Wood, columnist for The New York Times. 

Headlines

CNET reports Microsoft announced a new Xbox One without the Kinect bundled will begin selling June 9th for $399 in the US and £350 in the UK. A separate Kinect will become available later, though no timeline was announced. Microsoft also announced that sometime in June, its paid subscription service, Xbox Live Gold will no longer be required for most apps, including Netflix, ESPN, and YouTube. If you do keep paying though, Xbox One owners will get Games with Gold and Deals with Gold features starting in June. 

Ars Technica reports Motorola announced the Motorola E Android smartphone for sale unlocked at $129. The E runs Android 4.4.2 Kit Kat, has a 4.3-inch 960 x 540, 256 PPI display, a 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor, 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of storage. Although it does have a microSD card slot that can add up to 32GB.Motorola even promises it will get at least one update to the next version of Android, possibly more. Like the Moto G has swappable rear shells you can buy for $15. One big gap, no front-facing camera. The phone comes to 40 countries in the next few weeks.

9to5 Mac cites “sources with knowledge of the enhancement in development” say Apple will add split-screen multitasking to iOS8 for iPad. It’s described as similar to how Windows 8 can snap multiple apps in the tiled interface on tablets. The iOS feature would let users drag content from one app to another. On the back-end this means iOS developers could share content between apps. Sources do warn that the feature might be pushed back to a later version or canceled altogether. Oh sources.

ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley reports Microsoft is adding advanced rules and a new undo option to Outlook.com.  Users will be able to create multi-condition, multi-action rules, including options for options for time constraints, email tallying, checking read/unread email state and more. Microsoft also simplified undo functions by adding an undo button and allowing CTRL-Z to work wherever you need to undo. The new features start rolling out today and should arrive for all users in the next few weeks.

GigaOm reports LG will begin selling its Lifeband Touch fitness wristband on May 18 in the US for $150, with Asia and Europe releases to follow. The lifeband can track the usual fitness metrics but can’t track your heartbeat. That’s why it’s fortuitous that LG will also start selling its Heart Rate earphones this month exclusively at Best Buy for $180, with additional retailers coming mid-June.

Recode reports 28 CEOs of US Internet Service Providers sent a letter to the US FCC urging the agency not to reclassify their services as Telecommunications. Some have urged the FCC to classify ISPs as telecommunications providers, as they were until 2002, in order to have a firmer legal justification for net neutrality regulations. The ISps say in their letter that doing so, “would impose great costs, allowing unprecedented government micromanagement of all aspects of the Internet economy.”

More elements of the cold war are returning! The Verge reports Russia has rejected a request by the United States to continue to use the International Space Station after 2020. The US wanted to extend joint missions until 2024. The US currently pays Russia $60 million per person to ferry its astronauts to the space station. Russia will also bar the US from buying Russian rocket engines that would be used to launch military satellites from the US.

News From You

Our top story on the subreddit today came from ancientbearwizard who submitted yesterday’s Guardian excerpt from a book by Glenn Greenwald alleging the NSA has been intercepting shipments of routers heading for export. The US spy agency then installs surveillance tools, repackages the device and sends it along. The allegation is based on a leaked June 2010 report from the head of the NSA’s Access and Target Development.

mranthropology sent us a Wired article that Volkswagen announced it will introduce a 10-speed dual-clutch transmission targeted to arrive in the 2015 Passat. More gears allows the engine to optimize RPMs and save fuel. VW Group Chairman Dr. Martin Winterkorn believes the design can help improve fuel economy across VW’s group model range by 20 percent. That includes not only Jettas and Audi A4s but Bugattis and Porches as well. 

MikePKennedy posted the Verge story about  a European Court of Justice ruling that Google is responsible for content on its servers and must respond to individual requests to remove outdated or irrelevant information originating from third parties. A Spanish resident asked Google to remove links to an article about his house being auctioned after a failure to pay taxes. The individual said the matter had been resolved making the articles outdated. The decision runs counter to a statement made last year by the Advocate General.

tm204 sent us a Rice University posting that Rice chemist James Tour and his colleagues have developed a flexible material that combines qualities of a battery and a supercapcitor without using lithium, which is found in almost all commercial batteries today. It can charge and discharge quickly like a supercapacitor or discharge more slowly like a battery. The capacitor is about a hundreth of an inch thick and flexible like graphene. The researchers hope they can make it even thinner.

The Kicker

 According to former Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield, today the last day you can (legally) watch the video of him singing ‘Space Oddity’ aboard the International Space Station. The first music video shot in space was filmed in 2013 near the end of Commander Hadfield’s tenure on the ISS  and his license of the David Bowie song expires today. Although Hadfield says he’s working with Bowie’s people to extend the rights, it’s worth watching again, for the weightless guitar solo, and to honor Hadfield for proving that astronauts don’t just have to be stoic scientific ciphers; they can also take the time to be creative in space. If you’re listening to this podcast on Wednesday, never fear, Hadfield’s original song “Jewel in the Night” is still available.

Discussion Section Links: Ground Control to Moto E

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/05/motorolas-moto-e-runs-kitkat-resists-scratches-costs-129-unlocked/

http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/12/htc-sensation-4g-official-1-2ghz-dual-core-qhd-display-and-th/

http://www.cnet.com/news/new-399-xbox-one-without-kinect/

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/05/head-of-xbox-says-plans-to-decouple-kinect-from-xbox-one-began-in-april/

http://gigaom.com/2014/05/13/microsoft-wants-to-boost-xbox-video-streaming-by-making-it-free/

http://news.xbox.com/2014/05/xbox-delivering-more-choices

Pick of the Day:  Ghostery via Loren Lang

Ghostery is a web privacy tool that is available as a browser add-on (for most major browsers, anyway) and an iOS app. It blocks all sorts of trackers, beacons and cookies from over 1900 sources and you can choose to allow or disallow any or all of them with individual granularity as well as whitelisting sites to allow everything from them. You can also choose to allow an item once and then automatically go back to blocking it which is extremely useful when blocking something breaks a site in some way. I’ve first checked it out when i heard Steve Gibson recommend it in 2011 (see Security Now, Ep. 305) and have been using it ever since. I’m not fully in the Tin Foil Hat Brigade but I also don’t necessarily want to have everything I do on the web tracked and sold. There wasn’t a lot of middle ground between being not caring and locking things down so much as to make some sites unusable. Ghostery is exactly the compromise I was looking for.

Plug of the Day: It’s a Thing, a podcast about things that are becoming  ‘ a thing’ with Tom Merritt and Molly Wood.

Wednesday ‘s guest:  Dr. Kiki Sanford, host of This Week in Science