Ripley’s hi-top kicks from Aliens are being made real by Reebok

Reebok has announced that it will be releasing its Alien Stomper hi-top trainers as worn by Ripley in the Aliens movie.

The announcement follows Nike’s unveil of its Air Mag trainers in real life which previously had only been seen in Back To the Future Part II. Unlike the Nike self-lacing kicks, the Reebok Stompers won’t offer special skills other than being really high.

Reebok has released a version of these trainers before as a limited edition when the film came out, but never fully hi-top like in the film. The release date was set based on Alien Day, which is a thing that’s trying to be what Star Wars’ May the fourth is now. This date is connected to planet LV-426, famous in the Alien movies as the home of the Xenomorph creatures.

The Reebok Stompers will come in red and white, just like Ripley’s were and feature three Velcro straps to affix them in place all the way to the top. There will also be a mid-top version as worn by the android Bishop in the movie.

On 26 April Reebok will begin selling the Alien Stomper footwear but you’d better be quick. Of course these will be limited edition, only available in small numbers on the Reebok website and in select shops worldwide.

Pricing has not been announced for the kicks yet but we imagine they’re going to be anything but cheap, or even remotely affordable for most.

READ: Nike is teasing new trainers that self-lace like those Back to the Future kicks

CNBC taught a horribly botched lesson in password security

CNBC just learned a hard, hard lesson about password security. The news outlet posted (and promptly took down) an article on the subject whose centerpiece was a “how strong is your password?” text entry box that, if anything, was a classic example of how not to manage those all-important logins. For a start, Google’s Adrienne Porter Felt noticed that the box sent your password unencrypted, guaranteeing that any snoop could intercept it and test it against your real accounts. To make matters worse, others discovered that the site sent the password to not just a Google Docs spreadsheet, but to multiple third parties — when CNBC said “no passwords are being stored,” it was flat-out wrong.

Things wouldn’t have gone well even if the text field was airtight. The tool appeared to underestimate how long it would take to crack passwords, potentially lulling you into a false sense of security. In fairness, CNBC is aware of what happened and is spending time improving the tool. The real question is why the initial version didn’t appear to get serious scrutiny before it went live — if you’re going to educate the public about the value of good security, you need to practice what you preach.

worried about security? enter your password into this @CNBC website (over HTTP, natch). what could go wrong pic.twitter.com/FO7JYJfpGR

— Adrienne Porter Felt (@__apf__) March 29, 2016

Via: Motherboard

Source: CNBC (archive.is), Adrienne Porter Felt (Twitter)

Microsoft is betting big on AI chatbots like Tay

Tay, the AI-powered chatbot that ended up spewing hate speech on Twitter, is just the beginning for Microsoft. At its Build developer conference later today, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will unveil a broader “conversation as a platform” strategy, which involves releasing many chatbots built for different purposes, Businessweek reports. You’ll be able to message them just like Tay, but we’ll also get a glimpse of bots built into Skype that can do things like book hotel rooms. Just like its aim for Windows 10 apps last year, Microsoft is hoping to get developers excited by the idea of building bots at Build.

Microsoft is hoping to replicate the success of WeChat in China, a messaging app that lets you do things like shop, buy movie tickets and order taxis. Plenty of other companies are also looking closely at bots: Facebook has its M virtual assistant, and Amazon has Alexa, which works like a chatbot even though you actually have to talk to it. The main idea with all of these products is to deliver information, or accomplish simple tasks, without having to deal with an app or website.

This new initiative is an important one for Nadella, as it’s the first new Microsoft project that he’s entirely responsible for. Microsoft will try to prove to developers at Build that it’s simple to build bots, and it’ll show off demos to prove that they can be useful, like ordering a Domino’s pizza.

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek

Here’s how to watch Microsoft’s opening-day Build keynote

Microsoft is about to kick off its annual Build conference in San Francisco this week. The debut of Windows 10 made all the news last year. Now, about eight months since its launch, we’re expecting to see some high-profile new universal apps, improved Cortana integration and some more AI-powered chatbots. And with HoloLens shipping to developers today, you can expect some augmented reality news, maybe even a teleportation trick or two on stage. We’ll be bringing you live updates from the Moscone Center today at 11:30AM ET/8:30AM PT. You can also tune in right here to watch Satya Nadella’s opening-day Build keynote.

Drilling makes Oklahoma as earthquake-prone as California

Drilling for oil and gas has made parts of Oklahoma and Kansas as likely to be hit by major earthquakes as California. A new United States Geological Survey (USGS) hazard map shows that the risk of a “damaging” quake within the next year is now as high in north Oklahoma — 10-12 percent — as anywhere else in the US.

The revelation comes from the USGS changing the way it forecasts earthquakes in the country. In the past, its hazard maps only highlighted natural risks, meaning only California and small parts of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Washington and Wyoming were mapped. Now, it factors in “induced earthquakes” triggered by human activity, with the primary cause being wastewater disposal from oil and gas production. This tainted liquid is injected into deep underground wells, which can lead to an increase in pressure that negatively affects the seismic stability of an area.

Based on the risks posed by wastewater, much of Oklahoma is now highlighted, while smaller sections of Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Texas, and Tennessee also carry a warning. It should be noted that most states have at most a five-percent or less chance of damage. Only Oklahoma and a tiny area in southern Kansas are at higher risk.

Far from being alarmist, the USGS’ assessment is mostly based on one- and two-year earthquake data from the above states. Last year, 907 quakes of magnitude 3 and above hit Oklahoma. 106 have been recorded this year, with three measuring around magnitude 5, which ranks among the largest in the state’s history. It’s now third only to California and Alaska in earthquake frequency.

The USGS says further data on both induced and natural earthquakes is required to improve its hazard models. It also notes that its methodology for mapping the western states only factors in natural risks, and suggests it should expand its induced quake data to cover states like California. However, it’s not simple to determine the reasons for tremors in areas with naturally high seismic activity, and more research is needed.

Via: The New York Times

Source: USGS, (PDF)

Seagate Launches First USB-Powered Desktop Hard Drive

Seagate today announced the launch of the Innov8, which it claims to be the world’s first desktop-class external hard drive that does not need to be plugged into a power outlet. The HDD is compatible with the Retina MacBook and other USB-C notebooks.

Innov8 is an 8TB hard drive powered by a single USB-C cable, eliminating the need for a dedicated power source or adapter. The achievement was possible through USB 3.1 advancements and Seagate’s new Ignition Boost Technology.

Seagate was the recipient of a 2016 Red Dot design award for the Innov8, which features an aluminum enclosure that can be placed horizontally or vertically on a desk.

Innov8 will be available in April for $349 through Seagate, Amazon, and select resellers. 200GB of free Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage is included.

Tags: Seagate, USB-C
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‘Fantastical 2’ for Mac Updated With Native Exchange Support, Availability, Printing and More

Popular calendar app Fantastical 2 for Mac was today updated with a long list of new features, introducing a multitude of small but significant changes. The new version of the app includes Exchange support with native account syncing so Exchange users can respond to invitations and use availability lookup, categories, and people lookup.

With the new availability feature, enabled through a calendar service like Exchange, Google Apps, or OS X Server, Fantastical 2 users can quickly check their colleagues’ availability and schedules to expedite the process of setting up meetings and appointments. For Google Apps users, there’s an option to load Google Hangouts links for group meetings and there’s support for push updates and Google Contact search when adding invitees.

Printing is now available and there are multiple layout options available for printing calendar schedules. Users can choose a specific calendar to print and choose whether to show all-day events, timed events, or both. There are also options for calendar keys, black and white printing, and a mini calendar at the upper right of the page. Daily, monthly, weekly and yearly calendars are available to print, letting users share a hard copy of their schedules with others.

Other important new features include iCloud shared calendar notifications, an extra time zone line to let users view other time zones when scheduling an event, multiple selection to move or delete multiple items at one time, and a new option to start week or month views on the current day or week.

“We launched Fantastical 2 for Mac one year ago, and our goal was to reinvent Fantastical itself,” said Michael Simmons, Co-founder of Flexibits. “Today’s update is the biggest we’ve ever shipped and we think our users are going to love it.”

There are several other feature additions, bug fixes, and improvements to the Fantastical 2 app, which should improve performance for all users.

Fantastical 2 can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $49.99. [Direct Link]

Tags: Flexibits, Fantastical
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T-Mobile Launches BOGO 50% Off Promotion for iPhone SE

T-Mobile has announced that its “Buy One Get One Half Off” promotion returns March 31, offering qualifying Simple Choice customers half off the iPhone SE when they buy a second iPhone SE and add it to a new line of postpaid service. The deal also applies to the iPhone 6/6s, iPhone 6/6s Plus, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 5c. Certified pre-owned iPhones are not eligible for the limited-time offer.

The promotion effectively brings the total cost of two new iPhone SE devices down to $600, compared to $800, plus applicable taxes. The rebate, which must be submitted within 30 days of the purchase of your second eligible iPhone, will be provided in the form of a prepaid MasterCard. T-Mobile will honor the deal for customers who already pre-ordered the iPhone SE since March 24.

Both new iPhones must be purchased through a single T-Mobile account on a JUMP! monthly financing plan, and one of the new devices must be on a new line of service. The account must remain in good standing, and the second iPhone must remain in service until at least July 15, 2016. The BOGO offer cannot be combined with T-Mobile’s JUMP! On Demand early upgrade program, but customers can switch.

AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint customers can combine the offer with Carrier Freedom promotion, which provides those who switch to T-Mobile up to $650 towards a balance owing or to pay off early termination fees (ETFs) with an eligible device trade-in. Other T-Mobile perks include Binge On for unlimited streaming of select video services, Music Freedom for unlimited streaming of select music services, Data Stash, and Mobile Without Borders.

Related Roundup: iPhone SE
Tag: T-Mobile
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Apple and the MLB team up to put iPad Pros in the dugout

When the commentators during a baseball broadcast refer to the tablets Major League Baseball coaches are holding as “iPads,” unlike pro football announcers, they’ll actually be correct. Apple and the MLB have signed a deal that’ll put 12.9-inch iPad Pros in dugouts and bullpens around the league, offering up everything from performance stats, videos of plays from past games to pitcher-batter matchups, according to The Wall Street Journal. All that data comes from a custom app co-developed by Apple and the league, MLB Dugout.

The aim isn’t change for change’s sake, but a way to help coaches better handle baseball’s unexpected events like a relief pitcher taking the mound or a pinch hitter coming up to bat, the New York Mets’ third-base coach Tim Teufel says. For now, Dugout will rely on team-specific, proprietary data that’ll be preloaded prior to the opening pitch but the ultimate goal is info that approaches real-time. Unfortunately, there’s no word if SnapBats are being modified to fit Apple’s overgrown slate.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Uber is deeply integrating with other apps

Uber has been pushing to get its services better integrated into third-party apps in recent years, and new widget and branding features will bring a more complete experience than ever before.

The company is introducing a “Ride Request Widget,” which builds on the previously available “Ride Request Button,” adding extra functionality and improvements for customers with limited connectivity. Uber says the widget takes “a few minutes” for developers to add to their apps.

Once it’s integrated, users will be able to access a simplified version of the Uber interface that lets them choose a ride type (Uber X, Uber Black, etc.), and shows them an estimated time for pick-up. Once they enter the car, the widget will then show an ETA for their destination — all without ever loading the Uber app itself. In order to work well in areas with poor connectivity, no map is loaded; instead a simple bar is displayed.

In addition to helping Uber work better with other apps, Uber is also helping other apps work better with Uber. Separately to the widget announcement, it’s introducing “Trip Branding,” which will change the experience inside the Uber app when a ride is requested through a third-party site or app (but not through the new widget, which doesn’t take you into the main app). This lets companies add a button to the Uber ride screen that deeply links into their own app, providing destination details or other information.

Citymapper, Zomato and Hilton have already signed up for the program, along with “a few other partners.” Hilton’s button (pictured atop this article) lets you view your reservation, check-in or request an upgrade; Zomato displays the menu for your designated restaurant; Citymapper shows you the next step on your journey (for example, the times of trains at your destination station).

Both the Ride Request Widget and Trip Branding are open to all third-party developers now.

Source: Uber (Ride Request Widget), (Trip Branding)