The Public Access Weekly: Mistaken for strangers
Although I’m still two full seasons behind on Game of Thrones (and Orange is the New Black), I just got entirely distracted by Netflix’s Stranger Things. Which is what I will be binge-watching this weekend, because the only thing I love more than a crime procedural is a mystery with monsters and a killer soundtrack. And speaking of Netflix, has anyone tried out that new Flixtape feature yet? It’s similar to a feature that I would like to have, which is to build a playlist of favorite episodes and then have the ability to shuffle through them (a la Spotify). I’m keen to try out Flixtape too, which is more like a curated mixed tape of episodes.
Over in community news, a few quick things: For commenters, please be aware that there is, in fact, a filter that will automatically pull any comment that contains an f-bomb (or any spelling of that particular word including “f*ck”, etc.). If you’ve noticed that your comment has been removed, and it had an f-word in it, then that is why. This isn’t, unfortunately, the same as the bug that has been removing legitimate comments. We’re still looking into that.
In Public Access news, we are on track to have our best month ever (again!) so keep up the good work, contributors! We’re also working on an update to Public Access that will give members more features, better resources and more perks so if there’s something you’re really dying to have, then let us know either in the comments here or in an email. As we roll out these updates, we will be cracking down on spam, SEO linking and content marketing posts so consider this a heads up. We will have a new set of guidelines and policies in place to deal with these types of violations.
Lastly, hey, did you know that today is “Don’t be a dick” day? It’s true! This geek holiday was created by Wil Wheaton on his birthday to encourage folks to be classy and compassionate to each other online. So, go compliment someone in the comment section! Send someone* a bunch of cat GIFs! Offer helpful resources to a n00b who doesn’t know what they’re doing! Go out of your way to be so nice that people suspect you’re being sarcastic! It’s fun to confuse people.
*By “someone” I clearly mean me. I will happily take all of the cat GIFs, and any other GIFs that involve adorable animals.
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The Windows 10 Anniversary Update rolls out August 2nd, and Devindra gave us a run through of the changes to expect for the OS that earned an Engadget score of 91. Commenters have some mixed feelings overall, from arguing that there is still plenty that needs to be fixed and updated to discussing which features they’re most enthused to try out.
Over on the hardware side, Richard Lai got some hands-on time with Xiaomi’s recently launched Mi Notebook Air (which will also be available starting August 2nd, in China). Thinner and lighter than the Macbook Air, the Mi Notebook Air will run Windows 10, has a 1080p display, and boasts an Intel i5 processor (for the 13.3″ version). Some are eager to put it through its paces, others are just wondering how fast Apple will sue over the name.
Oops. Daniel Cooper just accidentally got himself addicted to Pokémon Go. Resistance is futile, apparently.
Looking for something to write about? Mull over:
In honor of the aforementioned “Don’t Be a Dick” day, tell us where you go for nice things on the internet (“nice things” here being anything that makes you smile and is not NSFW). Do you stop by the Nicest Place on the Internet for a virtual hug? Spend your lunch breaks watching dog videos on Mr. DOGnut? Tell us about your internet happy place.
Our own Andrew Tarantola tried out ‘the Station’, a desk that reclines to allow you to work from a horizontal, resting position… and oddly terrifies me with its resemblance to a dentist chair. However, plenty of people will likely find it a better way to work. As I’m trying to upgrade to a standing desk, I wonder: What is your work set up? Share your desk or work surface, complete with pictures of course, or alternatively, tell us what your ideal work set up would be if there were no restrictions on space or funds.
As your Community Editor, I admittedly have a vested interest in the reaction to stories like Yahoo Labs’ abuse detector and the Reddit moderator bans after the recent AMA. Both of those stories provoked some really interesting statements, suggestions and thoughts in the comments. How should AMAs, forums and comment sections be moderated? What does and does not deserve a ban? How can moderators maintain transparency with users and avoid bias? Where do you feel free speech comes into play? Is there even such a thing as online abuse? Are websites responsible for what happens in user forums and comment sections?
‘Uncharted’ movie discovers another writer for its script
The Uncharted movie has been in development hell since, oh… forever. There’s a new glimmer of hope, though: Sony has asked filmmaker Joe Carnahan to write the latest script, according to Variety. What drew him to the project was an interest in archaeology and how staggeringly popular the franchise is.
“Archaeology today is in itself an antiquity, but that world has always fascinated me,” he said. “Especially when you go to a museum today and wonder how a piece got there to begin with.” That almost seems like a reference to Uncharted 3’s opening, to be honest.
Carnahan is perhaps best known for his work writing and directing 2002’s Narc with Jason Patrick and Ray Liotta, and The Grey from 2011 — the movie where Liam Neeson fought wolves with booze bottles taped to his fists. Really.
The movie still needs a director, but even with Carnahan’s talent behind a camera, it can’t overcome his schedule at the moment. Among other projects, he has Bad Boys 3 on his plate and said that if he was going to direct, production would have to be pushed back. Considering that the film is already at least two years behind one of its promised release dates, what’s a little more time?
Via: Slashfilm
Source: Variety
Chernobyl site could be rebuilt as a massive solar farm
A new proposal from the Ukrainian government hopes to turn part of the wasteland around the world’s largest nuclear disaster into a 60 square km solar and renewable energy park. As the Guardian reports today, the Ukraine is currently seeking funding to transform unused — and dangerously radioactive — land into a power plant that could generate about 1,400MW of power, or about a third of what the nuclear plant could churn out before experiencing its notorious accident.
The proposal claims about 1,000MW of that power could be generated in a massive solar park, which would make it the largest solar farm on the planet. For comparison, Longyangxia Dam Solar Park covers around 23 square kilometers and has a capacity of about 850MW. Meanwhile, Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, which uses concentrated solar thermal power instead of photovoltaic cells, covers about 14 square km and has a capacity of about 392MW.
Working to the project’s advantage: the land within the 1,000 square km exclusion zone is obviously cheap and abundant. Plus, it reportedly gets strong sunlight and the power grid infrastructure left over from the Chernobyl plant is still mostly intact. On the other hand, the proposal does not detail how the solar panels will be built and maintained in an area that is still considered to be uninhabitable.
Regardless, one major bank has signed on, at least tentatively for now. As spokesperson for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which also built the $500 million sarcophagus around the original power plant, told the Guardian it “may consider participating in the project so long as there are viable investment proposals and all other environmental matters and risks can be addressed to the bank’s satisfaction.”
NASA orders a second ISS crew delivery from SpaceX
It’s been awhile since NASA has sent an astronaut to the stars from domestic soil, but it could be come commonplace soon enough. Today, the space agency announced that it ordered a second ISS crew rotation mission from Elon Musk’s SpaceX. This is the fourth flight NASA has ordered through its Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contracts, and a big step forward towards eliminating the space agency’s reliance on Russia for crew rotation.
Right now, all US astronauts heading to the ISS need to hitch a ride with Roscosmos — and every flight with the Russian space agency costs NASA millions of dollars. In contrast, the Commercial Crew Program offers NASA a lot of flexibility. “With the commercial crew vehicles from Boeing and SpaceX, we will soon add a seventh crew member to space station missions,” Julie Robinson, NASA’s ISS chief scientist says. “Which will significantly increase the amount of crew time to conduct research.”
SpaceX fills out the last of the guaranteed mission orders NASA provisioned for the Commercial Crew program — but it’s still not clear when the Dragon crew capsule will fly. The first of the CCP missions is scheduled for sometime in 2017, but NASA has yet to announce if that mission will be filled by SpaceX or Boeing. Either way, it sounds like Florida’s space coast is back in business. Check out NASA’s official announcement at the source link below for more details.
Source: NASA
Host other people’s Twitch streams from your mobile device
The line between using Twitch on mobile and desktop is getting even more blurry. The live-streaming juggernaut recently announced that now, you can host another channel’s broadcast from the mobile app. Twitch writes that all you need to do is tap the gear button in the app, hit “Host” and you should be good to go. It’s available for everyone on iOS at the moment, and will be rolling out slowly for Android. Need to update? Hit the source link below if your iDevice hasn’t updated yet.
Source: iTunes
17 Facebook Messenger tips and tricks you likely didn’t know
Facebook recently announced there are more than a billion people using Messenger, so Pocket-lint thought we’d round-up some of the most interesting things you can do with the messaging app that’s clearly taken over the world.
However, we’re not going to cover basic things like how to send a message, photo, video, sticker, or emoji – nor are we going to discuss how to place a video/voice call. Those are functions that pretty much everyone knows how to use at this point. Instead, this handy guide, which is for the Android and iOS app, is all about those hidden tips and tricks, such as how to start a game of chess or interact with a bot.
Let us know in the comments if you know other tips and tricks worth including, as we plan to update this piece over time.
Facebook Messenger: All the best tips and tricks
Share your location
iPhone
Jump into a chat with a friend, then tap the More button (three horizontal dots) in the toolbar above the text field, and select Location. You may have to allow access to your location. From there, send your current location. Your friend will immediately get a map showing your exact location.
Android
Jump into a chat with a friend, then tap the More button (three horizontal dots) in the toolbar above the text field, and select Location. You may have to allow access to your location. From there, send your current location. Your friend will immediately get a map showing your exact location.
Give your friend a nickname
iPhone
Jump into a chat with a friend, then tap his or her name at the top of the chat, and select Nicknames. You can then tap your friend’s name again to begin setting a nickname. The friend will see his or her new nickname in the chatbox, however.
Android
Jump into a chat with a friend, then tap the “i” button at the top of the chat, and select Nicknames. You can then tap your friend’s name again to begin setting a nickname. The friend will see his or her new nickname in the chatbox, however.
Change the name of group chats
iPhone
Jump into a group chat, then tap the names at the top of the chat, and select the names at the top. You can then change the name of the group chat to whatever you want. Again, all your friends in the chat will see the new name.
Android
Jump into a group chat, then tap the “i” button at the top of the chat, and select the names at the top. You can then change the name of the group chat to whatever you want. Again, all your friends in the chat will see the new name.
Change the photo of group chats
iPhone
Jump into a group chat, then tap the names at the top of the chat, and select the names at the top again. You can then change the photo of the group chat by taking a new picture or adding a photo from your camera roll. Again, all your friends in the chat will see the new photo.
Android
Jump into a group chat, then tap the “i” button at the top of the chat, and select the Extra Settings button (three vertical dots) button at the top. You can then change the photo for the group chat to whatever you want. Again, all your friends in the chat will see the new photo.
Customise your chat theme
iPhone
Jump into a chat with a friend or group, then tap the name at the top of the chat, and you’ll see a list of options that let do things like mute notifications for a set period of time, add a nickname, select a colour or emoji for the conversation, and add more people. Tap the nickname, colour, or emoji options to customise the look and theme of the chat.
Android
Jump into a chat with a friend or group, then tap the “i” button at the top of the chat, and you’ll see a list of options that let do things like mute notifications for a set period of time, add a nickname, select a colour or emoji for the conversation, and add more people. Tap the nickname, colour, or emoji options to customise the look and theme of the chat.
Play chess with a friend
iPhone
Jump into a chat with a friend, then type “@fbchess play” in the text field to start a chess game. To make a move, you’ll have to type your move, such as “@fbchess Pb4” to move a pawn in column B to row 4. Type “@fbchess help” for help about how to play chess in Messenger.
Android
Jump into a chat with a friend, then type “@fbchess play” in the text field to start a chess game. To make a move, you’ll have to type your move, such as “@fbchess Pb4” to move a pawn in column B to row 4. Type “@fbchess help” for help about how to play chess in Messenger.
Play basketball with a friend
iPhone
Jump into a chat with a friend, then find and send them a basketball emoji from your keyboard. From there, long-press on the emoji to open up a new screen where you can shoot hoops. Your friend will get a message asking them to play.
Android
Jump into a chat with a friend, then find and send them a basketball emoji from your keyboard. From there, long-press on the emoji to open up a new screen where you can shoot hoops. Your friend will get a message asking them to play.
Send some random cuteness
iPhone
Jump into a chat with a friend, then type “@dailycute” in the text field to someone a dose of cuteness (aka a cute image from the web).
Android
Jump into a chat with a friend, then type “@dailycute” in the text field to someone a dose of cuteness (aka a cute image from the web).
Send a bigger thumb-up
iPhone
Jump into a chat with a friend, and then hit the thumbs-up button in the toolbar above the text field. If you tap that button, you’ll send a quick thumbs-up to your friend, but if you hold down on it before releasing, you’ll enlarge the thumbs-up and can send that instead.
Android
Jump into a chat with a friend, and then hit the thumbs-up button in the toolbar above the text field. If you tap that button, you’ll send a quick thumbs-up to your friend, but if you hold down on it before releasing, you’ll enlarge the thumbs-up and can send that instead.
Send or request money
iPhone
Jump into a chat with a friend, then tap the More button (three horizontal dots) in the toolbar above the text field, and select Payments. You can then toggle between pay or request to either send money or ask for money, respectively. Just enter the amount, add a note, and click next/request to send. You can also swipe left in this area to change the theme (to, like, a Christmas theme, for instance).
You’ll need to make sure you have a payment card setup, though. Open Messenger, then tap the Me/profile button in the menu bar, and select Payments. You’ll then see options to add a new debit card. You’ll also see your transaction history, with the ability to cancel sent requests.
Android
Jump into a chat with a friend, then tap the More button (three horizontal dots) in the toolbar above the text field, and select Payments. You can then toggle between pay or request to either send money or ask for money, respectively. Just enter the amount, add a note, and click next/request to send. You can also swipe left in this area to change the theme (to, like, a Christmas theme, for instance).
You’ll need to make sure you have a payment card setup, though. Open Messenger, then tap the Me/profile button in the menu bar, and select Payments. You’ll then see options to add a new debit card. You’ll also see your transaction history, with the ability to cancel sent requests.
Check message requests from non-friends
iPhone
By default, you only get messages from your friends and contacts. To see messages sent from a stranger, open Messenger, then tap the Me/profile button in the menu bar, and select People. From there, tap Message Requests to see who’s messaging you. At the bottom of this list of hidden messages, there’s may be anothe button for “filtered requests”. These are messages Facebook has detected as spam.
Android
By default, you only get messages from your friends and contacts. To see messages sent from a stranger, open Messenger, then tap the Me/profile button in the menu bar, and select People. From there, tap Message Requests to see who’s messaging you. At the bottom of this list of hidden messages, there’s may be anothe button for “filtered requests”. These are messages Facebook has detected as spam.
Adjust notification preferences
iPhone
If you’ve ever been in an active group chat, you’ve been inundated with notifications for every single message received. Fix the problem by muting the entire group chat (you can also do this for individual friends). Just jump into a chat with a friend or group, then tap the name at the top of the chat, and select Notifications. You can choose muting options like 15 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours, or until you turn notifications back on.
You can also adjust sound and vibration settings. Open Messenger, then tap the Me/profile button in the menu bar, and select Notifications. On iPhone, you’ll see a Notifications in Messenger option. Tap it, and from this area, you can enable/disable sound and vibrations.
Android
If you’ve ever been in an active group chat, you’ve been inundated with notifications for every single message received. Fix the problem by muting the entire group chat (you can also do this for individual friends). Just jump into a chat with a friend or group, then tap the “i” button at the top of the chat, and select Notifications. You can choose muting options like 15 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours, or until you turn notifications back on.
You can also adjust sound and vibration settings. Open Messenger, then tap the Me/profile button in the menu bar, and select Notifications and Sound. On Android, you’ll then see options to adjust your sound and vibration preferences.
Remove notification previews
iPhone
To stop notifications from showing up on your lock screen, open Messenger, then tap the Me/profile button in the menu bar, and select Notifications. You’ll then see a Show Previews options that lets you show or hide message previews in alerts and banners.
Android
To stop notifications from showing up on your lock screen, open Messenger, then tap the Me/profile button in the menu bar, and select Notifications and Sound. You’ll then see a Notifications Previews options that lets you show or hide message previews.
Draw on or add text to photos
iPhone
Jump into a chat with a friend, then tap the Camera button in the toolbar above the text field, and swipe through the photos in your camera roll. Choose a photo, then long-press on it, and tap Edit. You’ll then see options at the bottom of the photo preview that let you add text or doodles.
Android
Jump into a chat with a friend, then tap the Gallery button in the toolbar above the text field, and swipe through the photos in your camera roll. Choose a photo, then long-press on it, and tap the Pencil button. You’ll then see options in the photo preview that let you add text or doodles.
Create a shortcut
Android
This one is for Android only. If there is a Messenger conversation you want to access quickly, you can create a quick-access shortcut on your home screen. Just long-press on any conversation under the Home tab to prompt a pop-up menu, where you’ll find the option to “Create shortcut”, Select that to create a shortcut on your phone’s home screen. It basically makes that Messenger conversation just a tap away.
Interact with a bot
iPhone and Android
Earlier this year, Facebook said bots were coming to its Messenger app. Well, you might not have realised this, but they’re already available.
Many bots have actually been available for months. It’s hard to tell, however, because they’re buried in the Messenger app and hard to locate. But they aren’t hard to use. You can use them to play trivia and games like hangman. You can also order flowers or hail an Uber. The possibilities are endless. Bots are designed to bolster your chat experience and make your life easier.
Check out Pocket-lint’s step-by-step guide to find out more about Messenger bots, including what they are and how you can find them.
Use the standalone Messenger site
If you work in front of a computer most of the day, you can use Messenger without going to the Facebook.com homepage. Just go to Messenger.com. Unfortunately, this web app doesn’t pack all the functionality of the mobile app.
Google is turning on HSTS encryption on its domain
Google has taken additional measures to strengthen its data encryption by implementing HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS).
While most of Google’s data is already encrypted, Google’s utilization of HSTS goes a step further by preventing users from mistakenly heading to HTTP URLs by converting potentially unsafe HTTP URLs into more secure HTTPS URLs. For instance, you might accidentally type in a URL without protocols and find yourself redirected to an unsafe destination. HSTS help curb those issues, especially among less internet-savvy users.
Google is looking to deploy the changes as soon as possible, but there’s still some additional work to be done before it’s ready to go. HSTS is now active for Google’s domain, however, in the meantime. It will be extended to additional domains and Google products soon.
Source: Google
SwiftKey leaked user email addresses as text predictions
Autocorrect mistakes are supposed to be funny, but a new SwiftKey glitch turned out to be sort of alarming. For the last week, some SwiftKey users have been offered predictive text for slang they’ve never used before, words in other foreign languages and, most concerning, email addresses and phone numbers they’ve never seen.
The trouble, it seems, was with the third-party keyboard’s cloud sync service. Users were somehow receiving data from other user’s SwiftKey language models — providing them with text entry predictions intended for someone else entirely. On a surface level, the glitch sounds harmless enough, but commonly used contact information can wind up in your Swiftkey database. Users on Reddit reported finding email addresses they weren’t familiar with offered to them on login pages, and some users even received phone calls from folks who found their number through SwiftKey’s predictive text. That’s a really weird way to have your contact information leaked.
SwiftKey says that the issue only affected a small number of its customers, and has temporarily disabled its cloud sync service and removed email address predictions from its apps. The company asks users who think they may still be experiencing the problem to contact them at reviews@swiftkey.com. As for the rest of us? We’ll probably text a little more cautiously. Autocorrect errors may be a meme, but not everybody wants to be a part of the joke.
Via: Telegraph
‘Disney Infinity’ goes offline in March 2017
Disney Infinity is done and it’s nearly time for Avalanche Software to pull the plug. The game will wind down in stages, starting today with the discontinuation of in-game purchases in the PC, iOS, Android and Apple TV versions of Disney Infinity 2.0, though in-game purchases are still available (for now) in the Steam edition of Disney Infinity 3.0.
On September 30th, the PC, iOS and Android versions of Disney Infinity will disappear from their respective stores and current players will no longer be able to log into the game. Apple TV players will still be able to access the game, but it will be removed from the actual App Store. Disney Infinity 2.0 and 3.0 will remain available on Steam, though online and community features will be disabled. Most importantly, Toy Boxes will be no more — the Community team will cease reviewing and accepting new Toy Boxes across all console, mobile and PC versions. However, Apple TV and Windows 8 or 10 players will be able to download existing Toy Boxes through March 3rd.
In-game purchases will disappear from Windows 8 and 10 editions on January 3rd. And then comes the big shutdown: On March 3rd, Apple TV and Windows versions will no longer be playable or available, and all online services for all installments will be discontinued. Console versions of Disney Infinity games will still function, though they won’t have access to online or community features.
Disney Infinity was Disney’s final stab at making video games in-house, and the series was a success overall — just not enough of one. Infinity single-handedly turned Disney’s gaming sector around, making the division profitable for the first time in years. But, it seemed Disney was betting against the series from the beginning. Add to that Disney’s long history of selling off its gaming properties and the huge influx of cash from licensed franchises like Star Wars: Battlefront, and it feels like Infinity didn’t stand a chance.
Source: Disney Infinity
AT&T is raising data caps to 1TB for U-verse subscribers only
Folks who have signed up for AT&T’s U-verse service, your data ship has come in: The telecom is increasing your data cap to 1TB per month and providing unlimited home internet data at no additional charge to customers subscribing to its GigaPower 1Gbps service. But those still using their DSL services will see no benefit and remain capped at 150GB per month.
That terabyte limit applies to every account holder, unlike last May’s increases, which boosted ceilings up to 300MB, 600MB, and 1TB depending on speed tier. Only the fastest, at 1Gbps, gets unlimited home data.
But the telecom’s kept its sweetheart deal introduced a few months ago to dissuade cord-cutters, offering the limitless data to patrons who pay for both their DirecTV or U-verse TV and internet on the same bill. Nothing has changed for all other account holders, who can get access by paying an additional $30 fee. Similarly, overage fees remain at $10 per 50GB beyond the cap, to a maximum of $100 per month.
Via: Ars Technica
Source: AT&T blog
AIVAnet 