Thieves beware: future ATMs will spray foam that helps track stolen cash
ATM thieves are increasingly focused on digital heists, but many of these robbers still prefer old-fashioned currency. They may want to think twice about stealing cash in the future, though, as ETH Zurich has developed a chemical defense system that both deters theft and helps track ill-gotten goods. Based loosely on bombardier beetles, which produce acid to spray attackers, the technique creates a defensive surface on an object (say, a cash box) using film layers filled with hydrogen peroxide and manganese dioxide. Break the surface and you trigger a reaction that covers everything nearby in hot foam — by itself, enough to ruin the day of any would-be purloiner.
That’s not the half of it. In an ATM, the manganese dioxide would also include both a dye and DNA shrouded by nanoparticles. If you’re reckless enough to raid the bank machine and get caught in the foam blast, the dye renders any stolen cash useless; the DNA, meanwhile, makes it easy to follow the path of that money. ETH Zurich hasn’t outlined plans to put its chemical safeguard into service, but it notes that its implementation is both much cheaper than today’s mechanical systems (10 square feet of film would cost $40) and more reliable. As such, don’t be surprised if it reaches many ATMs in the future… and nogoodniks have second thoughts about their career choices.
[Top image credit: TaxCredits.net, Flickr]
Filed under: Science
Via: SlashGear
Source: ETH Zurich
Google wants your help making cheaper, tinier solar power systems
Solar panels have become cheaper and more efficient in recent years, but you can’t say the same for the big, costly inverters turning their energy into usable electricity. Google isn’t happy with this lack of progress, so it’s about to launch the Little Box Challenge, an open competition to build a tiny (and consequently cheaper) solar power inverter. The search giant is promising $1 million to whoever cracks the problem, although it warns that this won’t be easy; don’t expect to reach a breakthrough in your basement. If someone does produce this miniscule power box, though, it could lead to eco-friendly energy in places where it’s currently unaffordable or otherwise impractical — whether it’s a remote village or your own rooftop.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Household, Google
Source: Google+, Little Box Challenge
Facebook dumps the Poke and Camera apps you never used
Remember that Poke app that Facebook released a couple years ago? Yeah, we’re guessing no, which might explain why the company has decided to put the kibosh on it and pulled it from the App Store. If you did manage to snag the app back in the day, you might recall that it allowed you to not only “poke,” but also send a message, picture or video to Facebook friends, with those missives set to expire after 1, 3, 5 or 10 seconds. Also on the guillotine is Facebook’s standalone Camera app, which we’re not sure if anyone knew existed. Getting rid of these two apps isn’t entirely surprising, as features from both have been incorporated into the big blue one over the years. Though killing them seems counter to the company’s recent trend of unbundling its core app, we suspect it’s more to do with getting rid of the old to make room for the new. To those who want to keep poking their friends on Facebook though, don’t worry — you’re still able to do so via the web.
Filed under: Facebook
Source: The Verge
Beats Co-Founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine Expected to Take on Senior Roles at Apple
Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and musician Dr. Dre are both expected to take on senior roles at Apple following Apple’s acquisition of Beats Electronics, reports The Wall Street Journal. The two may not take on full time positions, but will commute from the Los Angeles area, where Beats is based, to meetings in Cupertino and elsewhere as necessary.
Citing people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal suggests that specific roles for Iovine and Dre remain unclear, but Iovine will be leaving his role as chairman of Interscope Geffan A&M records, a division of Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group. Both Dr. Dre — real name Andre Young — and Iovine could help Apple secure deals with record labels and attract younger customers.
While Mr. Iovine’s rock-star temperament could still ruffle some feathers in tech-centric Cupertino, it may help Apple broker deals in the music industry and appeal to the younger consumers who gravitate to Beats headphones.
Apple is said to be working on an overhaul of iTunes in order to boost declining music sales. The addition of the Beats Music streaming service along with a thriving hardware business and two seasoned veterans of the music industry may help the company achieve the drastic revamp it’s aiming for while introducing new revenue streams.
Today’s report follows a report from the New York Post suggesting Iovine will join Apple as a “special adviser” to Tim Cook on creative matters. While Apple’s $3.2 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics has yet to be completed, Dr. Dre seemingly confirmed the acquisition in a video posted this morning, where he alluded the merger would make him the “first billionaire in hip-hop.”
As noted by The Wall Street Journal, Apple’s hiring of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine represents Tim Cook’s willingness to step out of the spotlight. Earlier this month, the company welcomed former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts as the new retail chief and other Apple executives, like Jony Ive and Craig Federighi, have been stepping into the limelight more often than they did under Steve Jobs.
How to hide secret messages in your Twitter updates
Twitter offers a surprising freedom of expression within 140 characters, but what if you want to hide a message in plain sight — say, to get around censorship? Well, it’s now as easy as pie. Matthew Holloway has built a web tool that uses steganography (that is, hiding messages within other content) to put secret phrases inside your tweets. The technique replaces letters with similar-looking characters that hide a second message you can only reveal with the right decoder.
Holloway is quick to stress that this isn’t cryptography. Since anyone can use the tool, your hidden meaning is fair game to anyone who tracks down his website and pastes in your text. It’s also patently obvious that this isn’t an ordinary post, so suspicious types will know that something’s up. Still, if you ever want to enjoy a degree of obscurity on Twitter — or just want to mess with your followers — you can check out the utility at the source link.
Tｈere ｉs notｈｉng unuｓｕａl ｔo see iｎ tｈis pｏst． Notｈinｇ wｈaｔsοeνer.
– Jon Fingas (@jonfingas) May 9, 2014
Filed under: Internet
Via: Ars Technica
Source: Twitter Secret Messages
FDA approves a life-like prosthetic arm from the man who invented the Segway
After years of testing, the FDA today approved a new type of prosthetic arm that its makers claim will bring a whole new level of control to amputees. Known as the “Luke” arm or DEKA Arm System, Segway inventor Dean Kamen has been involved in its development and unlike existing prosthetics, it can understand multiple commands at once, giving its wearers “near-natural” control of the limb. As demonstrated in the videos embedded after the break, tests show wearers can get back to easily performing tasks like using keys and locks, brushing their hair, removing papers from an envelope, or picking up an egg without breaking it. While we’ve seen demos using other mind control techniques, the one approved for sale does its magic with electromyogram (EMG) sensors activated by the wearer contracting muscles close to where the prosthesis is attached or on their feet, which an embedded computer translates into movement.
Another triumph here is the (relative) speed of its approval. Fast-tracked in the FDA’s ‘de novo’ classification process, the DARPA-funded project has gone from idea to ready for the market in eight years. Bloomberg reports that the government agency put up $40 million to help develop the device, which is modular enough to fit people who have any degree of loss, from a hand to the full limb. Going far beyond the metal hooks that have been commonly fitted to those with upper limb amputations, it’s battery powered, “similar” in size and weight to a natural limb and has six different grips. It’s capable of recognizing up to 10 specific movements There’s no word on how much the device will cost, but Next Step Bionics & Prosthetics president Matt Albuquerque says now it will look for a commercial partner to start mass production.
Filed under: Wearables
WhatsApplebees: Lunch with America’s hottest chain-restaurant app
When news broke Friday of WhatsApplebees, an Applebee’s-exclusive networking app, we were pretty pumped. A place for us to network with like-minded Steak Quesadilla Tower lovers sounds like it deserves a permanent place on the dock of our iPhone (move over email!). Anxious, of course, to take it for a spin for ourselves, we headed over to the Taj Mahal of neighborhood Grills in San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf (San Francisco’s first location) for lunch to check out the amazing experience first hand.
If you’re traveling and aren’t quite sure where your nearest Applebee’s location is, the app has you covered – offering directions in both Apple and Google Maps to the promised land. Our office (unfortunately) is a few miles away from our closest location, so we took an Uber. On the way to paradise, we casually mentioned the app to our driver. “Tell me more,” he said instantly, with the enthusiasm of a true believer. Obviously a trendspotter, after hearing about WhatsApplebees he said he thinks it’s going to take off, and even offered this accolade: “Nowadays people are always on their phones, so that might be a good idea.” Might be a good idea? It’s definitely a good idea.
“I wanted to create something just on the other side of that line – something that’s clearly a terrible idea.”
WhatsApplebees is the brainchild of New York developer Mike Lazer-Walker, who doesn’t seem to realize the app’s full potential — he actually built it as a joke (whaa?). “Lately I’ve seen so many apps that seem like they’re a parody of Silicon Valley culture but are in fact real, actual products,” Walker told us. “I wanted to create something just on the other side of that line – something that’s clearly a terrible idea, but not SO outlandish compared to the current state of things that you might, for a second, believe it’s real.”
And real it is. Anyone within “around 100 meters” of an Applebee’s is free to chat within the app. Conversations are presented anonymously with just text and time codes, and are archived for viewing later on. Walker says diners are kept secret on purpose. “I originally thought of making it pseudo-anonymous, with each user being given a randomly-generated username/avatar (a la the app Secret), but laziness prevailed. I would have loved to make a username generator that came up with fake Applebee’s menu items to use as names.” Good idea — Bourbon Street Chimicheesecake does have a special ring to it.
Photos are a no-go within the app. Walker says the feature is “probably not” coming in the future, leading us to believe there’s still a chance we might be able to share our 3-cheese chicken pasta with another connoisseur across the country soon. That said, it seems like word of the app hasn’t quite gone bicoastal. While at the restaurant we were able to chat amongst ourselves, and what appeared to be just one other enthusiast — we assume all the other fans are waiting to break it in over a Happy Hour Applebeetini.
“Some people have it on their phone. I do not.”
Oddly, our waiter was not a fan of WhatsApplebees. He was exceptionally friendly for our whole meal, but his mood became immediately sullen when we asked about the app. “Some people have it on their phone. I do not, ” he said before rushing away Why not? Our guess is he’s holding out for an official version to arrive on the restaurant’s tablet service — it already has table-side “Couples games” built in, so chat seems like the obvious next step, right?
Walker doesn’t currently have plans to bring the model to any other chains or platforms, however, when he does (because this is obviously going to take off), below are a few other “opportunities” for spinoffs. Vote and let us know what your faves are.
Which restaurant social app would you like to see next?
John Colucci contributed to this report.
Apple Launches In-Store iPhone Upgrade Event to Boost Sales
Apple’s iPhone upgrade event has officially begun, as the company has started to send out emails encouraging upgrade-eligible older iPhone owners to trade in their phones for newer models. iPhone 4s users started receiving emails on May 8, with the headline “It’s a beautiful time for an upgrade.”
The emails nudged iPhone 4s owners to “recycle” their phones to receive up to a $199 credit to put towards the purchase of an iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c under Apple’s iPhone trade-in program, which the company first launched in August.
As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple Store employees have also received a memo instructing them to encourage iPhone 4 and 4s to trade in their phones with more attractive trade-in values. Apple is offering iPhone 4 users up to $99 towards the purchase of an iPhone 5s or 5c, while iPhone 4s owners can get up to $199, making an upgrade to a subsidized iPhone 5s essentially free.
Apple’s retail stores are also displaying signs with the same “It’s a beautiful time to upgrade” message, but it appears those signs may have pre-dated the kick off of Apple’s upgrade initiative, having been spotted last week.
“It’s a beautiful time for an upgrade. You may be eligible for upgrade pricing on a new iPhone. And if you bring in your old iPhone to be recycled, you could get credit toward a new one. Ask us for details.”
First highlighted earlier this week, Apple’s upgrade initiative is designed to boost in-store sales of the iPhone. The event will see Apple heavily pushing its iPhone trade-in program and launching improved trade-in options in an effort to get customers to upgrade their phones.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has noted his desire to increase in-store iPhone sales multiple times over the past year, saying Apple will improve sales through a variety of promotional tactics and incentive programs. Currently, 80 percent of iPhones are sold at third party locations while Apple sells just 20 percent, a ratio Cook would like to improve.
As Apple kicks off its trade-in initiative, Best Buy is also offering an up to $200 trade-in value for customers who bring in an older iPhone and upgrade to an iPhone 5s or 5c. Phones must be in working condition without a cracked display to receive a Best Buy gift card through May 11. An iPhone 5 is guaranteed $200, while an iPhone 4s gets $150 and the iPhone 4 gets $100.
Facebook Discontinues ‘Poke’ and ‘Camera’, Pulls Apps from App Store [iOS Blog]
Facebook today removed its long defunct Facebook Poke and Facebook Camera apps from the App Store, quietly pulling the apps with no notification to users. A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the removal to The Verge, but declined to comment further.
First introduced in December of 2012, Facebook’s Poke app was the company’s answer to Snapchat, allowing users to send ephemeral photos, videos, messages, and “poke” notifications to their friends. Each message only lasted a few seconds before expiring, much like Snapchat‘s temporary messages.
Poke quickly floundered following its release as it failed to gain popularity amid competition from Snapchat, and it received no updates.
Facebook’s Camera app was slightly more popular when it launched in May of 2012 as a way to make sharing multiple photos on Facebook “faster and easier.” The single function app, which also let users browse photos, saw several updates during the first year it was released but later fell to the wayside as Facebook integrated Camera features into its main Facebook app. At the time of removal, the Facebook Camera had not been updated since August of 2013.
Despite the failure of Facebook Poke and Facebook Camera, Facebook has continued with development of standalone Facebook apps under its Creative Labs initiative. Paper, the first product to come out of Creative Labs, has been lauded for its design and has thus far enjoyed moderate success.
Nintendo promises ‘more inclusive’ games in wake of #Miiquality campaign
When Nintendo designed Tomodachi Life, a bizarre life-sim that puts the company’s Mii avatars in an exaggerated parody of reality, it probably didn’t expect to provoke a marriage equality campaign. Community cries for ‘Miiquality’ petitioned Nintendo to add same-sex relationships to the title, but the company’s initial response was sterile and dismissive. “Tomodachi Life was intended to be a whimsical and quirky game,” Nintendo said. “We were absolutely not trying to provide social commentary.” Intentional or not, the lack of same-sex relationships caused a stir. Now, Nintendo is apologizing officially.
“We apologize for disappointing many people by failing to include same-sex relationships in Tomodachi Life. Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to change this game’s design, and such a significant development change can’t be accomplished with a post-ship patch.”
It’s a much warmer response, and addresses the problem more directly: adding new romantic options to the game before launch isn’t feasible, and the changes would be too large patch in later. That said, Nintendo plans to be more mindful of these kinds of issues moving forward, promising that future games in the series would be move inclusive and more representative of all kinds of players. It’s a good, level response — and probably what the company should have said in the first place. Better late than never.
Source: Nintendo
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