Chris Urmson leaves Google’s self-driving car project
After seven and a half years working on self-driving car tech for Google/Alphabet, Chris Urmson announced his departure from the team in a blog post tonight. He took over as director after Google X founder Sebastian Thrun left in 2013, and led until Google hired former Hyundai exec John Krafcik as the CEO of its car division. The New York Times reports Urmson was unhappy with the recent direction of the project under Krafcik and had “quarreled” with Larry Page, however his post simply says he’s “ready for a fresh challenge.”
Autonomous driving tech has come a long way since the first time we saw the fruits of Google’s labor, and a partnership with Chrysler indicates it has entered a much more practical phase of development. Urmson joined Google after working on self-driving tech at Carnegie Mellon to win DARPA challenges, and watched the project go from a goal of 100,000 miles self-driven to completing 1.8 million miles (with a few accidents, usually caused by human drivers). There’s no indication on what’s next, but he says “If I can find another project that turns into an obsession and becomes something more, I will consider myself twice lucky.”
Source: Chris Urmson (Medium)
MrMobile Gets His First Chromebook
As someone who edits video on a Mac and writes scripts on a Pixel C, I’ve never paid Chromebooks much mind. They always seemed too spartan, too reliant on a constant connection to the internet, so I basically ignored the entire category.
That is, until a few months ago. When the news broke that Chromebook shipments had eclipsed those of the Mac for the first time, it got my attention. Even if many of those units went to education and corporate customers, that was a whole lot of Chromebooks – so I started wondering what was I missing out on. If I were still a college student (or if I were as frugal as I should be) could I use a Chromebook on the daily?
I spent a few days with the ASUS Chromebook Flip to get a taste of what using ChromeOS was like. What I found was that it’s not for me – I’ll stick with the Pixel C for my convertible needs – but that it might be a perfect fit for an alternate-universe me who’s just now shipping off to school. Check out my first Chromebook experience … and if you have one, let me know what you use yours for!
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Target starts selling Kindles again after a four-year break
Years ago, visiting a Target was one of the best ways to check out Amazon’s Kindle products in person before plunking down your hard-earned cash. But in 2012, Target stopped selling Kindles both online and in its stores. That’s changing, however — as of today, you can buy the Kindle Paperwhite and standard Kindle from Target online. And a report from Bloomberg indicates that you’ll soon be able to buy them in Target’s physical retail stores, as well.
Bloomberg also says that Target will sell Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets and Fire TV devices, but those aren’t on the website yet. And it’ll be a few months before you can go pick these items up in the store, as they’re expected to return in October, just in time for the holiday shopping season.
Target didn’t publicly say why it pulled Amazon’s products back in 2012, but analysts believed it was because the company’s e-readers and tablets serve as portals into Amazon’s shopping experience. In one regard, Amazon rid itself of Trojan horse — but now, it seems that Target expects the devices to help provide its electronics sales with a boost. And while Amazon has opened a few brick-and-mortar stores, it’s still rather difficult to see its products in person before buying. This renewed partnership could end up proving mutually beneficial to both retail giants.
Via: The Verge
Source: Bloomberg
Microsoft has two big Windows 10 updates slated for 2017
While announcing the gradual rollout of its Anniversary update for Windows 10, Microsoft confirmed that there would be two feature updates coming in 2017. This means moving to a twice-a-year schedule the company had previously set up for its “Threshold” updates for Windows 8, which used the codename for that operating system. According to Windows Central, the first update for 10, called “Redstone 2” after this operating system’s nickname, will come in early 2017, followed by “Redstone 3” four to six months later in late summer or early fall. The latest internal builds are around the 14900 range, the site said, meaning testers should soon receive bits of Redstone 2 to try out and give feedback.
Source: Windows Central
Researcher-created Twitter bot phishes two out of three users
Phishing, the malevolent hacker technique of getting hapless folks to click malevolent links, just got a powerful new weapon. Black Hat researchers have created a Twitter bot that reads your tweets and sends you a message catered to your interests — along with a shortened URL leading to hacktown.
Baltimore security firm ZeroFox made the SNAP_R bot as a proof-of-concept for the next generation of phishing techniques, explaining its methods in a paper released at the recent Black Hat security conference. It uses machine learning to churn through a victim’s tweets and those of their followers, then sends a dynamic message relevant to their interests. It uses clustering to identify high-value targets based on social engagement, like followers and retweets, and measures the bot’s success by tracking clickthrough rates. In summary, the researchers claim it to be “the world’s first automated end to end spear phishing campaign generator for Twitter.”
The ZeroFox team created SNAP_R as an education and security assessment tool: like many firms, they are often hired to attack clients using cutting-edge methods that real hackers would use. Machine learning is often used defensively, so this method is one of the first to turn it around to target victims in the “spear” phishing school of anti-security.
Since links in tweets are automatically shortened, users largely aren’t able to sniff out shifty URL destinations, so spotting poor grammar or irrelevant content is the quickest way to suss out malevolent intent. Catering messages is a clever way to keep from arousing victim suspicions and ultimately getting them to click on links they would be too cautious to otherwise. Britain’s GCHQ intelligence agency exploited this technique when it used its own innocuous URL shortener to track activists and incite pro-revolutionary messages during the Arab Spring and Iranian uprisings. That ZeroFox tricked an unbelievable two-thirds of victims into clicking links, far higher than the five to 15 percent success rate for normal phishing methods, is evidence of a serious vulnerability in social network users’ security behaviors.
Source: The Register
FDA approves using genetically-modified mosquitos to fight Zika
The Zika virus and related illness outbreak has been top-of-mind as of late — in the US, that’s particularly true in parts of Florida where the virus has spread. It looks like there may be a rather unusual way of fighting further spread of the virus, however. Today, the FDA just finished an environmental assessment of a technique cooked up by biotech firm Oxitec. The FDA has given approval for Oxitec conduct a field trial in which it releases genetically modified mosquitos that should “suppress” the population of infected mosquitos.
The plan Oxitec cooked up involves releasing genetically modified Aedes aegypti male mosquitos that would pass off a gene that’s fatal to any offspring produced with wild female insects, thus trimming the population of infected mosquitos. Specifically, the FDA has stated that Oxitec’s plan wouldn’t cause any harm to the local environment, but the biotech firm still needs to work with a number of local, state and federal agencies before the field trial begins.
Oxitec also has to come to an agreement with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District before enacting its field trial, something the FDA’s approval will likely help with. Fusion notes that some have concerns about what removing a large portion of the Aedes aegypti mosquito population from the environment would have. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District will speak with residents and then vote on the proposal — if it passes it sounds like the field trial won’t happen until late this year.
Via: Fusion
Source: FDA
GE GDF610PMJES review – CNET
The Good The $600 GE GDF610PMJES consistently delivers clean dishes, and the slate finish adds a nice touch to the overall design. For a lower-midrange price, it has a great mix of features that match some dishwashers that cost hundreds more.
The Bad The GDF610PMJES can’t get the stuck-on food in the curved spaces of spoons, so you’ll need to adjust your load pattern for better cleaning performance.
The Bottom Line The GDF610PMJES can handle anything you throw at it, as long as you get a handle on loading it. As a budget-friendly option, it’s worth the minor hassle.
Nothing about this GE GDF610PMJES is outstanding, but it’s a good dishwasher to compromise with.
At $600, this dishwasher kept up with feature packages you’d normally see on dishwashers closer to a thousand bucks. It has a respectable lineup of features, like the option to wash only the upper or lower rack, and it gives you double the space for your silverware with two baskets on the lower rack. The GE GDF610PMJES cuts costs with its plastic wash tub and push buttons on the front instead of on the upper lip, so the design is less than glamorous.
If it didn’t top our list for cleaning performance, it’s a solid cleaner, and tackled the majority of the food we threw at it. If you can look past a basic design and don’t mind rinsing your dishes before loading, you’ll get more than what you expected at a lower midrange price. I’d recommend this dishwasher as a budget option.
Deal in! GE dishwasher has great features…
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Design
The pocket handle and steam vent in the upper left corner of the GE GDF610PMJES reminds me of a dishwasher from the early 2000s. The two red tips for the jet sprayers are the only pop of color on an otherwise bland interior, but it’s not an ugly dishwasher by any means. The unique slate finish is an especially good get for the price and it helps this dishwasher stand out from the stainless-steel masses.
You can find the GE GDF610PMJES at AJ Madison and other large appliance dealers. Like most large appliances, you’ll find it cheaper than the $600 list price. Right now, AJ Madison has it for $443. The GDF610PMJES is not available overseas.
Features
Looking at the feature list, the price of this dishwasher looks even more appealing. GE packed so many features in the GDF610PMJES that it keeps up with other dishwashers we’ve tested that are twice the cost. It offers the standard cycles we normally expect to see — Autosense, Heavy, Normal and Light — but the amount of customization options for the price of this dishwasher was a pleasant surprise.
Choose from four standard cycles.
Chris Monroe/CNET
It features a Steam prewash to loosen the gunk on your dishes before the cycle starts. The Heated Dry is great, and left hardly any water spots on glasses or silverware. The Wash Temperature controls give the option to “boost” or “sanitize,” customizing how you can get your dishes clean. Along with the choice to delay the start of your cycle for up to 12 hours, it also gives you a countdown timer to let you know when the cycle will end. One of my favorite things about it, is the Wash Zones option that targets your choice of cleaning the upper or lower rack.
Mid-range dishwashers
- LG LDF7774ST
- Bosch SHS63VL5UC
- Electrolux EI24ID30QS
Inside, you’ll find two detachable wine stem holders on the top rack and two jet sprayers for deep containers. It also has two silverware baskets that can be placed in different corners of the lower rack or simply taken out if you need the extra space.
It’s not the quietest dishwasher, but at 51 dB, the noise level isn’t overbearing. The only thing missing is an express cycle. You won’t be able to get a quick clean with this GDF610PMJES if you need it, but considering the other features you get, losing an express cycle isn’t much of a sacrifice.
Usability
Even though it doesn’t have foldable tines, the upper and lower racks are still roomy, and together can fit 16 place settings. There’s plenty of usable space making it easy to fit standard dishes, yet big enough for most larger dishes as well.
Everything you need to know about Moto Mods – CNET
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Moto Mods transform your Moto in crazy ways
Drag
Motorola is the second company this year to launch a phone alongside a series of modular accessories. Unlike the LG G5, where you had to physically remove the bottom of the phone with battery attached to swap out modules, Motorola’s implementation on the Moto Z leverages magnets to hold the accessory in place on the back of the phone.
Skeptical the modules will stay attached the phone? I was at first, too. But you can set your skepticism aside — Motorola used some really strong magnets to help the mods stay put.
Moto Mods are surprisingly intuitive and easy to quickly add or remove, and work with either model of the Moto Z. But, of course, there’s more to it than that.
Each module has its own battery
Enlarge Image
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Obviously, either of the external battery Moto Mods are a battery. However, the JBL Speaker and Insta-Share Projector each need charged on their own.
Each one is equipped with at USB-C charging port, so you can charge it with the same cable you use to charge the Moto Z. Alternatively, you can charge the speaker or projector while attached to your Moto Z, but keep in mind the Moto Z’s software will top off the phone before it starts charging up a mod.
You can check battery level of Moto Mods a few different ways: Slide down the your notification panel, where a notification with the current status is displayed. Open the quick settings panel, and look at the Moto Mod battery meter next to your phone’s battery meter. Finally, with the mod removed you can press the small power button on the mod itself. An indicator light reveals how much of a charge the mod has. A rapidly blinking green light means the battery is full, a steady green is 51-99 percent, steady amber is 16-50 percent and a steady red is 6-15 percent. A rapidly blinking red means it’s just about out of power.
There’s an app for that
You likely won’t have to manually install the Moto Mods app, but it’s a good idea to do double-check you have the latest version of Moto Mods Manager installed. For those who bought the projector mod, there’s an app for it too. You can find it in the Play Store here.
After installing or updating either app, you won’t find an app icon in the app launcher on your phone. Instead, you’ll need to visit the Settings app.
Change settings, update software
Enlarge Image
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Depending on the mod you’re using, there are a few settings you can tweak. For example, when using a battery pack you can choose between draining the battery of the mod in an effort to keep the phone fully charged, or using Efficiency mode to keep the phone’s battery at 80 percent while getting more life out of the mod.
You can access this setting by tapping on the Moto Mods notification when a mod is connected to your phone, or by opening Settings > Moto Mods.
Accessing the settings menu for the projector mod is done by turning it on, then pressing the power button. You can then change the projectors keystone setting, as well as alter its brightness.
Last but not least is the ability to update the software on a Moto Mod. As of right now, Motorola and its partners are yet to release a software update for available mods. Presumably, it’s only a matter of time before there is a software update.
To check for a software update, open Moto Mods settings pane and tap on About this Moto Mod > Software updates.
Pokémon Go’s battery-hogging ways doubled external battery pack sales
Pokémon Go has helped to double the sales of external battery packs in the U.S., according to a new report from the NPD Group.
The popularity of the augmented reality game has come at the cost of a faster draining battery for smartphone owners, which in turn has caused them to seek out ways to extend their play time. The NPD Group says that while portable battery packs sales grew by just 4% year-over-year for the six weeks prior to the launch of Pokemon Go, they were up by a massive 101% between July 10 and July 23, with unit sales of 1.2 million in that time period.
“Pokémon Go is the summer’s hottest game partly because it utilizes features like location, motion sensors and augmented reality in your smartphone- however, these features consume more of the phone’s battery life,” said Ben Arnold, executive director, industry analyst for consumer technology at The NPD Group. “As a way to compensate for the extra battery usage, consumers are buying portable power packs so they can continue to play, uninterrupted.”
More: Best external battery packs for Pokémon Go
Pokémon Go: How to choose the best eggs to incubate!
You need to know which egg to incubate.
One of the more exercise-focused aspects of Pokémon Go is hatching eggs. Each egg has a distance meter next to it, and when you put that egg in an incubator it becomes active. When you walk the distance marked on the egg while playing the game, the egg will hatch and you’ll get a brand new Pokémon with a bunch of Pokémon Candy for that creature.
The difficult thing here isn’t the walking, it’s choosing which egg to incubate next. You only get one incubator with unlimited uses, and every other incubator — whether purchased or received from a level up — has a five use limit. The best way to choose which eggs go in which incubator is to know which Pokémon are in the egg to begin with. While there’s no what to know exactly which creature is in your specific egg, here’s a list of Pokémon and the egg types they show up in.
| 001 | Bulbasaur  |
2km |
| 004 | Charmander  |
2km |
| 007 | Squirtle  |
2km |
| 010 | Caterpie  |
2km |
| 013 | Weedle  |
2km |
| 016 | Pidgey  |
2km |
| 019 | Rattata  |
2km |
| 021 | Spearow  |
2km |
| 025 | Pikachu  |
2km |
| 035 | Clefairy  |
2km |
| 039 | Jigglypuff  |
2km |
| 041 | Zubat  |
2km |
| 074 | Geodude  |
2km |
| 129 | Magikarp  |
2km |
| 023 | Ekans  |
5km |
| 027 | Sandshrew  |
5km |
| 029 | Nidoran♀  |
5km |
| 032 | Nidoran♂  |
5km |
| 037 | Vulpix  |
5km |
| 043 | Oddish  |
5km |
| 046 | Paras  |
5km |
| 048 | Venonat  |
5km |
| 050 | Diglett  |
5km |
| 052 | Meowth  |
5km |
| 054 | Psyduck  |
5km |
| 056 | Mankey  |
5km |
| 058 | Growlithe  |
5km |
| 060 | Poliwag  |
5km |
| 063 | Abra  |
5km |
| 066 | Machop  |
5km |
| 069 | Bellsprout  |
5km |
| 072 | Tentacool  |
5km |
| 077 | Ponyta  |
5km |
| 079 | Slowpoke  |
5km |
| 081 | Magnemite  |
5km |
| 083 | Farfetch’d  |
5km |
| 084 | Doduo  |
5km |
| 086 | Seel  |
5km |
| 088 | Grimer  |
5km |
| 090 | Shellder  |
5km |
| 092 | Gastly  |
5km |
| 096 | Drowzee  |
5km |
| 098 | Krabby  |
5km |
| 100 |  |
5km |
| 102 |  |
5km |
| 104 |  |
5km |
| 108 |  |
5km |
| 109 |  |
5km |
| 111 | Rhyhorn  |
5km |
| 114 | Tangela  |
5km |
| 115 | Kangaskhan  |
5km |
| 116 | Horsea  |
5km |
| 118 | Goldeen  |
5km |
| 120 | Staryu  |
5km |
| 128 | Tauros  |
5km |
| 137 | Porygon  |
5km |
| 095 | Onix  |
10km |
| 106 | Hitmonlee  |
10km |
| 107 | Hitmonchan |
10km |
| 113 | Chansey  |
10km |
| 122 | Mr. Mime  |
10km |
| 123 | Scyther  |
10km |
| 124 | Jynx  |
10km |
| 125 | Electabuzz  |
10km |
| 126 | Magmar  |
10km |
| 127 | Pinsir  |
10km |
| 131 | Lapras  |
10km |
| 133 | Eevee  |
10km |
| 138 | Omanyte  |
10km |
| 140 | Kabuto  |
10km |
| 142 | Aerodactyl  |
10km |
| 143 | Snorlax  |
10km |
| 147 | Dratini  |
10km |
And that’s it! From here you can plan out which eggs would be best for you to hatch right now. For example, focusing on 2km eggs is great if you are hoping to quickly level up a starter Pokémon, and 10km eggs are great if you want something unique. The only uncertainty with these eggs is Candy.
The amount of Candy you get from each Egg is random, somewhere between 5 and 35 Candies. That could mean you get an Eevee with everything you need to evolve it on the spot, or it could mean you get a Pidgey with 5 Candy that makes you sad on the inside. Either way, hatch as many as you can!
Pokémon Go
- Join our Pokémon Go forums!
- How to deal with GPS errors in-game
- Which team should you choose?
- How to play without killing your battery
- The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
- Listen to the Pokémon Go podcast!
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