Anthony Carboni is on the show and we’ll talk about the latest Invisibility Cloak out of the University Rochester that you could build yourself for $100. It’s continuously multidirectional clocking. what does that mean? Thank goodness Jaime Ruiz is along to help us understand.
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 headlines 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 guests: Anthony Carboni, co-host of We Have Concerns and Jaime Ruiz, Tensor Stylist and Physicist
Headlines
CNET reports that Google may be next to face the wrath of Hollywood in the nude celebrity photo leak blame game. Martin “Mad Dog” Singer, (and yes we verified the nickname at the Lavely & Singer website) represents more than a dozen clients whose images were stolen from their iCloud accounts. So why go after Google? According to Singer, Google was too slow to remove the images from search results, YouTube and Blogspot. In a letter to Google execs, Singer claimed Google could be liable for more than 100 million dollars in damages. He also demanded Google remove the images from its sites, terminate user accounts that host the images and asked for data preservation on all alleged offenders for future litigation. Google claims it has removed tens of thousands of pictures — within hours of the requests being made.
Gigaom reports that Apple has a new tool for people who want to make sure they’re not buying a stolen iPhone. All you have to do is type the IMEI number of the phone you want to buy into the site, and if the device has Apple’s Activation Lock feature on, the site will confirm that, as well as give instructions for wiping the device before you, the legit password-holding owner sell it.
CNET reports Evernote CEO Phil Libin announced a few new features at the Evernote Developer’s Conference today. One, Work Chat lets you chat with other Evernote users from within the system including the ability to see who’s looking at a note and chat with them about it. Apparently the most requested feature from users. The other major feature is called Context which shows you info relevant to what you’re writing or saving. The could include past notes, notes from others or even news items. Both features will come to Android, iOS, Mac and Windows later this year. They also redesigned the Web interface and improved the scanner too.
The EFF notes that software called ComputerCOP, that has been distributed by local law enforcement for years, unfortunately acts like spyware. EFF says they observed the software’s keylogger transmitting to third party servers without encryption. The software maker also claims endorsement by the ACLU, which the ACLU denies. And the US Treasury Department has issued a Fraud Alert over ComputerCOP. At best the software is questionably marketed and badly written to the point it exposes user data to attackers. Law enforcement agencies should beware of the company and users should avoid installing it.
The Next Web reports Google unveiled code for an open source standard called Physical Web. The project attempts to make it easier for Internet of Things devices to talk to each other without the need of intermediaries like apps. Oversimplified, the idea is to assign every connected device with a URL, so that a device like a phone can get short amounts of info without needing a separate app. Examples might be temperature readings, bus arrivals, payments at vending machines and more. The initial release of the Physical Web includes an Android app that can detect URLs broadcast by devices, with an iOS app coming in the future.
TechCrunch reports Facebook has set up a formal review process for approving research. A panel of senior researchers in different subject matters like privacy, legal, research, policy, and engineering will determine if certain types of studies meets the guidelines. The prcoess does not change the way consent is obtained or provide for external auditors. A website at research.facebook.com will centralize all academic work done on the Facebook data set.
News From You
wto605 submitted the Reddit thread wherein Redit user cranbourne, who claims to be a Microsoft Dev, asserts that internal rumors at Microsoft say early testing revealed that if the next version of Windows had been called Windows 9 it would have caused bugs in a lot of software. Turns out version checking code often just looks for “Windows9” to decide if the OS is Windows 95 or 98.
loki74 submitted a Gigaom article on the continuing adventures of Robin Hood, who’s secret identity is US FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. Wheeler was in Minnesota yesterday wagging a finger at “those who seek to block the competitive forces that can produce faster, cheaper, better broadband” and supporting the efforts of city and municipal governments to build their own broadband internet networks. Wheeler’s remarks come near the close of a public comment period about whether the FCC should overrule laws in 19 states that restrict cities from offering internet services.
Sunbun submitted the Android Central story that Roku is beta testing a new feature for the Roku 3 and Roku HDMI Streaming Stick to mirror screens from Android devices. Roku has step-by-step instructions on its site for how to launch the screen mirroring beta for Android devices.
And biocow passes along Elon Musk’s cryptic tweet yesterday, in which he wrote “About time to unveil the D and something else.” The D, might be Tesla’s Model D electric car, set to be revealed at the Paris Motor Show next week. And the ‘something else?’ The Verge wonders if it’s an all-electric bike or an advanced infotainment system, but Biocow suspects it may be the a version of the Hyperloop, possibly in a secret AREA somewhere deep in the Nevada desert. And apparently Musk told CNN Money that by next year the Tesla’s will be 90% self-driven.
Discussion Links:
http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/29/optical-lens-invisibility-cloak/
http://arxiv.org/abs/1409.4705
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtKBzwKfP8E
Pick of the Day: 2 wifi picks from Matthew Bowen
2 Wifi related picks, 1 hardware & 1 software:
AFFORDABLE wireless access points all controlled from a central web login. (Like Meraki) Access points start at $55 with very affordable POE injectors. Now pretty much anyone can afford to have a professional level wireless network with a single SSID and seamless handoffs from one AP to the next.
Instabridge
Available for Android, iOS, Windows, & Mac, Instabridge allows you share wireless networks without sharing the passwords. If you change the password in the app everyone you have shared that password with gets updated. They never see the password, so you can also revoke anyone at any time! It is also great for sharing public WiFi. First time to a bar or restaurant? If another Instabridge user has shared it then you can automatically connect. The devs are extremely responsive and are a joy to give feedback.”
Friday’s guests: Shannon Morse of hak5.org and Len Peralta, artprover