Weekly Rewind: Domino’s chat bot, smart turntables, a breath-based flu detector

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top 10 tech stories, from how to get your pizza fix on Super Bowl Sunday to an at-home tap system — it’s all here.

Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday, Domino’s bot now offers full-menu ordering

It may just be the easiest food around, and now, it’s also the easiest food to order. Last summer, Domino’s officially launched its Facebook Messenger chatbot that lets you order a pie with just one word: “PIZZA.” Because really, why complicate something so … uncomplicated? And now, just days before the Super Bowl (during which pizza is a strong contender for the national meal), Domino’s has updated its bot to allow customers to place entire order.

Read the full story here.

Get your Sagan on with these 30 awe-inspiring photos of the final frontier

From the early, grainy images of the Martian surface taken by Mariner 4 to humanity’s first up-close look at Charon, photographs of our celestial neighbors and those light-years away have long since filled us with a sense of wonder. Fortunately, some of the most sophisticated imaging technology is currently faring the infinite void, transmitting breathtaking images of the final frontier back to earth. Here are 30 photos of space to help you put this Pale Blue Dot in perspective.

Read the full story here.

Researchers build flu detector that can diagnose at a breath, no doctor required

The influenza virus is a sneaky little bugger. In most cases, you have no idea you’re infected with it until you start to show symptoms. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was some sort of early-detection device that could tell us who is secretly harboring a virus before it spreads around the entire office? That is precisely what researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington have created with a prototype breathalyzer-style device, capable of detecting flu in its early stages.

Read the full story here.

Want a new turntable for your old vinyl records? Check out LOVE

Vinyl is making a comeback, and you know what that means — the return of the turntable. After all, what good is a record without a record player? And while we may be harking back to disc formats of old, that doesn’t mean we can’t give those familiar turntables a 21st-century makeover. Meet LOVE, branded as the world’s first intelligent turntable, which has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring its technology to the masses.

Read the full story here.

HTTPS use has finally reached its ‘moment of critical mass’

HTTPS has reached a “moment of critical mass.” That’s according to cybersecurity researcher Troy Hunt this week after he published statistics that showed HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) usage had grown so substantially that it was becoming the “norm” now rather than the exception. HTTPS is a more secure version of the HTTP protocol. It encrypts the data sent between your browser and the sites you are visiting, which ensures that your data is protected while browsing.

Read the full story here.

Weekly Rewind: Domino’s chat bot, smart turntables, a breath-based flu detector

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top 10 tech stories, from how to get your pizza fix on Super Bowl Sunday to an at-home tap system — it’s all here.

Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday, Domino’s bot now offers full-menu ordering

It may just be the easiest food around, and now, it’s also the easiest food to order. Last summer, Domino’s officially launched its Facebook Messenger chatbot that lets you order a pie with just one word: “PIZZA.” Because really, why complicate something so … uncomplicated? And now, just days before the Super Bowl (during which pizza is a strong contender for the national meal), Domino’s has updated its bot to allow customers to place entire order.

Read the full story here.

Get your Sagan on with these 30 awe-inspiring photos of the final frontier

From the early, grainy images of the Martian surface taken by Mariner 4 to humanity’s first up-close look at Charon, photographs of our celestial neighbors and those light-years away have long since filled us with a sense of wonder. Fortunately, some of the most sophisticated imaging technology is currently faring the infinite void, transmitting breathtaking images of the final frontier back to earth. Here are 30 photos of space to help you put this Pale Blue Dot in perspective.

Read the full story here.

Researchers build flu detector that can diagnose at a breath, no doctor required

The influenza virus is a sneaky little bugger. In most cases, you have no idea you’re infected with it until you start to show symptoms. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was some sort of early-detection device that could tell us who is secretly harboring a virus before it spreads around the entire office? That is precisely what researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington have created with a prototype breathalyzer-style device, capable of detecting flu in its early stages.

Read the full story here.

Want a new turntable for your old vinyl records? Check out LOVE

Vinyl is making a comeback, and you know what that means — the return of the turntable. After all, what good is a record without a record player? And while we may be harking back to disc formats of old, that doesn’t mean we can’t give those familiar turntables a 21st-century makeover. Meet LOVE, branded as the world’s first intelligent turntable, which has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring its technology to the masses.

Read the full story here.

HTTPS use has finally reached its ‘moment of critical mass’

HTTPS has reached a “moment of critical mass.” That’s according to cybersecurity researcher Troy Hunt this week after he published statistics that showed HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) usage had grown so substantially that it was becoming the “norm” now rather than the exception. HTTPS is a more secure version of the HTTP protocol. It encrypts the data sent between your browser and the sites you are visiting, which ensures that your data is protected while browsing.

Read the full story here.

Weekly Rewind: Domino’s chat bot, smart turntables, a breath-based flu detector

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top 10 tech stories, from how to get your pizza fix on Super Bowl Sunday to an at-home tap system — it’s all here.

Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday, Domino’s bot now offers full-menu ordering

It may just be the easiest food around, and now, it’s also the easiest food to order. Last summer, Domino’s officially launched its Facebook Messenger chatbot that lets you order a pie with just one word: “PIZZA.” Because really, why complicate something so … uncomplicated? And now, just days before the Super Bowl (during which pizza is a strong contender for the national meal), Domino’s has updated its bot to allow customers to place entire order.

Read the full story here.

Get your Sagan on with these 30 awe-inspiring photos of the final frontier

From the early, grainy images of the Martian surface taken by Mariner 4 to humanity’s first up-close look at Charon, photographs of our celestial neighbors and those light-years away have long since filled us with a sense of wonder. Fortunately, some of the most sophisticated imaging technology is currently faring the infinite void, transmitting breathtaking images of the final frontier back to earth. Here are 30 photos of space to help you put this Pale Blue Dot in perspective.

Read the full story here.

Researchers build flu detector that can diagnose at a breath, no doctor required

The influenza virus is a sneaky little bugger. In most cases, you have no idea you’re infected with it until you start to show symptoms. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was some sort of early-detection device that could tell us who is secretly harboring a virus before it spreads around the entire office? That is precisely what researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington have created with a prototype breathalyzer-style device, capable of detecting flu in its early stages.

Read the full story here.

Want a new turntable for your old vinyl records? Check out LOVE

Vinyl is making a comeback, and you know what that means — the return of the turntable. After all, what good is a record without a record player? And while we may be harking back to disc formats of old, that doesn’t mean we can’t give those familiar turntables a 21st-century makeover. Meet LOVE, branded as the world’s first intelligent turntable, which has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring its technology to the masses.

Read the full story here.

HTTPS use has finally reached its ‘moment of critical mass’

HTTPS has reached a “moment of critical mass.” That’s according to cybersecurity researcher Troy Hunt this week after he published statistics that showed HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) usage had grown so substantially that it was becoming the “norm” now rather than the exception. HTTPS is a more secure version of the HTTP protocol. It encrypts the data sent between your browser and the sites you are visiting, which ensures that your data is protected while browsing.

Read the full story here.

Kickstarter called ‘Capuchin’ looks like offspring of a scooter and mountain bike

Why it matters to you

Can’t decide between a scooter and a mountain bike? Florida-based startup Monkey Faction has created a stylish mashup of both just for people like you.

Are you sick of society trying to pigeonhole you by insisting that you’re either a scooter or a mountain bike kind of person? If so, why not blow some minds and stick it to The Man by riding a two-wheeler that kind of looks like a mashup of both!

That’s what the rebellious folks at Florida-based startup Monkey Faction have created with their new vehicle, the Capuchin, which is currently raising money on Kickstarter.

More: Kwiggle is a foldable bike you can take anywhere

“We use the comfortable geometry of a scooter and combine it with the ruggedness and responsiveness of a mountain bike,” Dave Goeppner, one of the brains behind the creation, told Digital Trends. “There is no other bike like it.”

Aside from its pleasingly retro appearance, the Capuchin also promises to be a more comfortable riding experience than you might be used to. For instance, its scooter-style saddle is much longer than a traditional bicycle seat, thereby allowing the rider to choose the riding position that’s best for them. “[There’s] no more knee pain or raising the seat so high that you feel like a circus clown,” Goeppner said.

The vehicle also boasts some impressively large wheels, which at 4-inches wide and 20-inches high, look more like motorcycle wheels. This offers more riding functionality on a range of surfaces, including pavement, dirt, sand, and snow.

“My two partners and I have been in the bicycle industry for a long time,” Goeppner said. “ We have created and managed numerous brands, most of which are racing oriented. In racing, it is all about weight and aerodynamics. This can be interesting, but what really captured our imagination was creating a bike that got non-cyclists excited. We asked ourselves what kind of bike would they like to ride? We played with various ideas and over time, they coalesced into the Capuchin. Our objective was to design a bike that is unique, fun and affordable — and by the reaction of people, we nailed it.”

If you’d like to confirm your status as a unique, one-of-a-kind nonconformist, you can join the rest of the growing group of future Capuchin owners by placing a pre-order on Kickstarter. Prices for the vehicle start at $349, with orders set to ship in July.

Enjoy full set of keys on the go with $31 Logitech K380 Bluetooth keyboard

Mobile devices dominate the technology world today as rapid innovation continues to give us smaller and smaller computer hardware. Unfortunately, the convenience and portability of smartphones and tablets brings a trade-off when it comes to work tasks such as typing. So it’s a good thing that a wide variety of products, like the colorful Logitech K380 Bluetooth keyboard, have been introduced in recent years to bridge the gap between mobile devices and laptop computers.

Logitech’s K380 Bluetooth keyboard offers you the comfort and convenience of a full set of QWERTY keys for your compatible tablet and other devices. The keyboard works with a wide variety of mobile and desktop operating systems including Windows, iOS, Android, and Chrome OS. The K380 is not just designed for mobile devices like tablets and phones, however – it can also work with any Bluetooth-capable computer or TV set-top box that supports external keyboards, like the second and third-generation Apple TV. Customers have reported that it syncs flawlessly with Kindle Fire tablets as well.

More: For a limited time, enjoy 10 percent off when buying two Kindle Fire tablets

The K380 keyboard can connect with up to three devices simultaneously, and convenient EasySwitch keys at the top of the unit allow you to instantly hop between devices with the press of a button. The OSadaptive technology can quickly recognize the devices and operating systems that the keyboard is connected to, automatically mapping keys for the best layout for each setup. The K380 runs on two included AAA batteries which provide roughly two years of power so you don’t have to worry about constantly recharging the unit or spending a lot of extra money on batteries.

The Logitech K380 Bluetooth keyboard typically goes for around $40, but Amazon currently has it available at a 23 percent discount, which brings it down to just $31. The K380 comes in classic black, as well as blue, orange, and purple.

$31 on Amazon

Enjoy full set of keys on the go with $31 Logitech K380 Bluetooth keyboard

Mobile devices dominate the technology world today as rapid innovation continues to give us smaller and smaller computer hardware. Unfortunately, the convenience and portability of smartphones and tablets brings a trade-off when it comes to work tasks such as typing. So it’s a good thing that a wide variety of products, like the colorful Logitech K380 Bluetooth keyboard, have been introduced in recent years to bridge the gap between mobile devices and laptop computers.

Logitech’s K380 Bluetooth keyboard offers you the comfort and convenience of a full set of QWERTY keys for your compatible tablet and other devices. The keyboard works with a wide variety of mobile and desktop operating systems including Windows, iOS, Android, and Chrome OS. The K380 is not just designed for mobile devices like tablets and phones, however – it can also work with any Bluetooth-capable computer or TV set-top box that supports external keyboards, like the second and third-generation Apple TV. Customers have reported that it syncs flawlessly with Kindle Fire tablets as well.

More: For a limited time, enjoy 10 percent off when buying two Kindle Fire tablets

The K380 keyboard can connect with up to three devices simultaneously, and convenient EasySwitch keys at the top of the unit allow you to instantly hop between devices with the press of a button. The OSadaptive technology can quickly recognize the devices and operating systems that the keyboard is connected to, automatically mapping keys for the best layout for each setup. The K380 runs on two included AAA batteries which provide roughly two years of power so you don’t have to worry about constantly recharging the unit or spending a lot of extra money on batteries.

The Logitech K380 Bluetooth keyboard typically goes for around $40, but Amazon currently has it available at a 23 percent discount, which brings it down to just $31. The K380 comes in classic black, as well as blue, orange, and purple.

$31 on Amazon

Hacker reportedly steals iPhone cracking tools used in shooting case

Why it matters to you

A hacker has made a bold statement about whether the FBI has the right to hack smartphones that illustrates just how vulnerable everyone’s personal data is.

Apple and the FBI went to war last year over an iPhone owned by San Bernardino, California, shooter Syed Farook, and whether or not the FBI should be granted access to that phone. Apple argued that doing so set a dangerous precedent for data privacy in general, while the FBI insisted it was a matter of national security. In the end, the battle abruptly ended when the FBI reportedly decided to work with Israeli firm Cellebrite, which said it would be able to hack the phone with or without Apple’s help.

Now, however, it seems as though Cellebrite has been hacked — and that hacker has publicly released some of that data to try and send a warning to the FBI. The data includes some code that is reportedly related to the Universal Forensic Extraction Device that can crack iPhones like the iPhone 5c, as well as some Android phones.

More: Lawsuit: Apple broke FaceTime in iOS 6 on purpose, blamed it on a “bug”

In a Motherboard report, the hacker said the creation of such tools makes their public release inevitable, and that they can subsequently be used by anyone with a bit of technical knowledge — including those who might not have such good intentions.

Cellebrite itself refutes the claim that it was hacked, suggesting instead that the dumped code is not source code, and is instead code that can be obtained by customers of the Cellebrite app. A separate Motherboard report says Cellebrite was indeed hacked just a few weeks ago, and Cellebrite claimed at the time that only some customer contact information was stolen. Reports indicated, however, that the company could be lying.

Whether Cellebrite did help the FBI or not, and whether this hacker does have real Cellebrite code or not, the message from the hacker is clear: “@FBI Be careful in what you wish for.”

As Hyperloop progress glides forward, here’s what you need to know

We live in an age of unbelievable progress in the field of computing, with the internet having revolutionized the way information is exchanged on a global scale. It seems like every day the chips get smaller and the storage space gets larger. One would think such changes would have brought about a new age of utopian technology. Yet in many areas of life, things don’t seem to have changed all that much over the years, and transportation is a woeful example of this. The roads are still lined with cars, the skies speckled with airliners. The science fiction stories of decades past foresaw flying cars and teleporters, but the 21st century has had to settle for Segways.

Dreams never die, however, and the fantasy of futuristic transportation is very much alive right now as exemplified by a concept called the Hyperloop. While it’s not quite as mind-shattering as a teleporter or as fun as a personal jetpack, the Hyperloop seems like it could revolutionize mass transit, shortening travel times on land and reducing environmental damage in the process.

What is the Hyperloop?

The Hyperloop is a concept proposed by billionaire inventor Elon Musk, CEO the aerospace firm SpaceX. It is a reaction to the California High-speed Rail system currently under development, a bullet train system that Musk feels is lackluster, as it will be one of the most expensive and slow-moving in the world.

A one way trip between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Hyperloop is projected to take about 35 minutes.

Musk’s Hyperloop consists of two massive tubes stretching between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Pods carrying passengers would travel through the tubes at speeds topping out over 700 mph. Imagine the pneumatic tubes people in The Jetsons use to move around buildings, but on a much bigger scale. For propulsion, magnetic accelerators will be planted along the length of the tube, propelling the pods forward.  The tubes would house a low pressure environment, surrounding the pod with a cushion of air that permits the pod to move safely at such high speeds, like a puck gliding over an air hockey table.

Given the tight quarters in the tube, pressure buildup in front of the pod could be a problem. The tube needs a system to keep air from building up in this way. Musk’s design recommends an air compressor on the front of the pod that will move air from the front to the tail, keeping it aloft and preventing pressure building up due to air displacement. A one way trip on the Hyperloop is projected to take about 35 minutes (for comparison, traveling the same distance by car takes roughly six hours.)

Why the need?

Conventional means of transportation (road, water, air, and rail) tend to be some mix of expensive, slow, and environmentally harmful. Road travel is particularly problematic, given carbon emissions and the fluctuating price of oil. As the environmental dangers of energy consumption continue to worsen, mass transit will be crucial in the years to come.

Rail travel is relatively energy efficient and offers the most environmentally friendly option, but is too slow and expensive to be massively adopted. At distances less than 900 miles, supersonic travel is unfeasible, as most of the journey would be spent ascending and descending (the slowest parts of a flight.) Given these issues, the Hyperloop aims to make a cost-effective, high speed transportation system for use at moderate distances. As an example of the right type of distance, Musk uses the route from San Francisco to L.A. (a route the high-speed rail system will also cover). The Hyperloop tubes would have solar panels installed on the roof, allowing for a clean and self-powering system.

There are of course drawbacks. Most notably, moving through a tube at such high speeds precludes large turns or changes in elevation. As a result, the system is optimal for straightforward trips across relatively level terrain.

California is, of course, susceptible to earthquakes, and the Hyperloop design takes this into account. The tubes would be mounted on a series of pylons spread along the route, each pylon placed every 100 feet or so. The pylons will allow for slip due to thermal expansion and earthquakes, ensuring that the tubes will not be broken by any such movement.

Realistically, the most important problem in getting any project off the ground is money, doubly so when talking about a public work. Even if one can produce an impressive blueprint, there are still issues of public approval, legislation, regulations, and contractors to worry about. Fortunately, The Hyperloop would be a cost-saving measure, especially when measured against the corpulent rail project currently underway. Musk’s white paper for the Hyperloop estimates the total cost could be kept under six billion dollars. Meanwhile, phase one of the California high-speed rail project is expected to cost at least $68 billion.

The Hyperloop competition and recent developments

Although Elon Musk postulated the idea, SpaceX is not developing a commercial Hyperloop of its own. Instead, it has been holding various competitions to encourage students and engineers to develop prototype pods. To facilitate this, SpaceX has built a one mile test track in California.

The contest was a way for engineers and companies to get the ball rolling to make the Hyperloop system a reality.

On January 30, 2016, the SpaceX Hyperloop design competition concluded. More than 100 prototype pod designs were submitted, and 27 teams have won the chance to test their designs on the SpaceX Hyperloop test track in June 2016. A team of grad students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) won Best Overall Design. According to the MIT team, the pod is lightweight and emphasizes speed and safety, including a fail-safe brake system. Whereas many Hyperloop designs use air jets to levitate, the MIT design uses two arrays of neodymium magnets to keep the pod aloft. Additional magnets inside the pod keep it stable as it races along the track. The power of the prototype was impressive, though it’s still very far from a commercial product given it currently lacks space for passengers or even cargo.

In January 2017, the long-running SpaceX Hyperloop competition wrapped up with “Competition Weekend I,” in which completed pods raced on the test track. A team from Delft University in the Netherlands took the top prize.

We are very proud be the overall winner of the first hyperloop pod competition ever! Thanks everyone for the great support! pic.twitter.com/BKl5bI5iNX

— Delft Hyperloop (@DelftHyperloop) January 30, 2017

Although this particular contest is over, the Hyperloop project is far from finished, as companies and governments around the world explore the concept. For its part, SpaceX will be holding another competition in the Summer of 2017, this one focused entirely on attaining the highest maximum speed.

There’s no guarantee that anything concrete will come out of the competition, though. The contest is a way for engineers and companies to exchange knowledge and maybe get the ball rolling to make the Hyperloop system a reality at some point down the line. Like a world’s fair expo, it’s a place for visions of the future to become a little bit clearer.

Developments abroad

While SpaceX’s contest was a good showcase for engineering students, the Hyperloop concept has also garnered interest from businessmen. Startups such as Hyperloop One (formerly Hyperloop Technologies) and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) are working on Hyperloop systems of their own, and what they lack in clever naming they make up for in ambition. Both companies are building their own test tracks, and HTT has recently announced a partnership with Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum, an engineering firm specializing in vacuum technology, and Aecom, an international corporation providing technical project support. The companies will receive stock options in exchange for their involvement.

HTT’s partnership with Oerlikon and Aecom is a massive development. International, publicly traded companies have deemed the Hyperloop concept solid enough to invest in. They also bring with them much-needed experience: Oerlikon has been a leader in vacuum technology since the dawn of the 20th century, while Aecom has been involved in many high profile engineering projects such as the Cape Town Stadium. This partnership represents a tremendous vote of confidence in the Hyperloop, and brings much needed legitimacy to a project that had been, until recently, a pipe dream.

January 2016 proved to be a big month for Hyperloop progress. HTT applied for a permit to begin construction on a test track along the I-5 freeway in Quay Valley, California. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, progenitor of the Hyperloop idea, partnered with Aecom to build its own test track in Hawthorne, California. With three test tracks currently in development, the Golden State is at the forefront of Hyperloop development.

In March 2016, HTT announced its intention to build a network of Hyperloop tracks connecting Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest, with Slovakia serving as a hub between the three.

In May 2016, Hyperloop One showed off its prototype system at a test track in Las Vegas.

Elsewhere in the world, other Hyperloop-esque projects appear to be springing up. In early 2017, the Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI) announced plans for a supersonic train that will travel between Seoul and Busan. Like Hyperloop pods, this train will travel through low-pressure tubes, reaching estimated speeds of 620 mph.

It remains unclear whether commercial Hyperloop systems will ever be widely adopted. As the global population swells and the environment declines, however, better mass transit systems will become essential. Leonard Bernstein once claimed that great endeavors require two things: “a plan, and not quite enough time.” The plan for the Hyperloop is there, but how much time do we have?

Updated on February 2, 2017 by Will Nicol: Added new information regarding recent developments.

Blockchain is the best bet for secure, efficient electronic health records

Why it matters to you

When secure electronic health records are universal, your personal medical information will be protected from medical identity theft.

Which makes you cringe more, the threat of ransomware or the current mess of health records? Blockchain, the same technology that enables hackers to collect ransoms with anonymity, is increasingly seen as the best platform to advance universal electronic health records (EHRs), according to Wired.

Blockchain, or distributed ledger technology, is widely associated with cryptocurrency such as bitcoin. The blockchain is also used on the “dark web” for the anonymous sale of weapons, drugs, and other illegal exchanges. The same attributes of blockchain technology that make it appealing for criminal use, however, can also help solve the complex data record-keeping needs of systems used for legitimate purposes like EHRs.

More: Blockchain technology may help secure the nuclear weapons of the future

The lack of coordinated and complete electronic health records affects patients, healthcare professionals, and the administrative systems and services that support people on both ends of the stethoscope. From the patient’s perspective, when you have to go over your entire medical history every time you see a new medical provider it’s a pain. The greater issue is bad information. If an incorrect allergy or blood type information is entered into your record, the consequences could be dire when you next go for treatment or a procedure.

On the provider and support service side, the amount of time spent creating and working with health records is astronomical and growing. A Mayo Clinic study found the No. 1 reason for physician burnout, which increased from 45 percent in 2011 to 54 percent in 2014, was paperwork.

According to John Halamka, Chief Intelligence Officer at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, “Now is probably the right time in our history to take a fresh approach to data sharing in healthcare.

“The EHRs may be very different and come from lots of different places,” Halamka says, “but the ledger itself is standardized.”

With a blockchain EHR system, anyone with an access key could see the same patient ledger, which would be the ‘chain’ of all transactions or entries for that person, each entry encrypted and time-stamped. The actual data for each transaction would be stored in widely distributed locations. The data isn’t actually sent around, which helps with confidentiality, but it all points to the same ledger or specific patient record.

Before ledger entries are approved for inclusion in the chain, algorithms make sure they match all other data. If, for example, a new entry says your blood type is A-positive but it’s actually O-negative in the other ‘blocks’ of data, the entry would not be accepted and the person or system at the point of entry would be alerted to the mismatch. Your medical identity would be protected and you wouldn’t have to remember every little piece of data about your medical history every time you see a new doctor.

The full adoption of EHRs isn’t here yet and will have hurdles to jump before finally implemented, but it appears that whatever the final system looks like, it will use blockchain technology.

An early build of Windows 10 Cloud has leaked, proving the new OS is no myth

Why it matters to you

A leaked build confirms that Windows 10 Cloud exists, and will lock users to the Windows Store

Oh boy. Critics, developers, and customers who oppose Windows 10 and Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform initiative are likely now gathering their pitchforks and torches, as a recent leak seemingly confirms that Windows 10 Cloud does indeed exist. Even more, the unannounced operating system is locked to the Windows Store, preventing users from installing traditional (Win32) desktop programs.

An early version of Windows 10 Cloud is now available as an ISO file via Twitter user @adguard. Those wanting to see what the fuss is all about should not install this platform on a machine, but create a bootable USB drive or run the ISO file through a virtual machine. The downloadable file resides on a cloud server located in Russia.

More: Epic’s Tim Sweeney isn’t thrilled about the locked nature of Windows 10 Cloud

The idea behind Windows 10 Cloud is to provide a lightweight, optimized version of Windows 10 for notebooks to compete directly with Google’s Chrome OS platform installed on Chromebooks. Following Google’s lead, Windows 10 Cloud will not allow users to install traditional desktop software, but force customers to rely solely on the Windows Store. Chromebooks are similar in nature, locking users to the Chrome Web Store.

That said, customers who try to install traditional Windows software will receive the following message:

This app you’re trying to run isn’t designed for this version of Windows. This version of Windows was made to help protect you and your device by exclusively running Windows Store apps.

What’s the difference between regular desktop software and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps available through the Windows Store? Traditional desktop software typically contains multiple components that may install in multiple locations on a PC, and can be freely downloaded and installed from any source. UWP apps are a single package installed in one location, and can only be obtained through the Windows Store, which is bundled into Windows 10 and controlled by Microsoft.

UWP apps are supposedly more secure than desktop software. That’s because apps sold through the Windows Store are “sandboxed,” meaning Windows 10 controls the environment and permissions apps need to function. If by chance an app is hacked, it will be unable to exit its sandbox and infect the entire operating system. Regular desktop software, however, can cause complete chaos.

Windows 10 Cloud does offer a way to use older desktop software, but the developer needs to take some action to make it possible. Microsoft offers a Desktop App Converter, which takes a desktop program and bundles all components into a sandboxed package that can be placed on the Windows Store. It’s still the same program, just in an app form — and upgraded to take advantage of special Windows 10 features only offered through the Universal Windows Platform model.

There are reports that desktop programs converted to Windows 10 apps and distributed through the Windows Store still can’t run on Windows 10 Cloud due to their Win32-based nature. But given that this is an early build of Microsoft’s “lite” platform, that will likely change in the near future. Windows 10 Cloud isn’t expected to launch until the second half of this year, at the earliest.