HBO refuses to play ball with hackers as more episodes leak

HBO says it will not negotiate with the hackers who made off with 1.5 terabytes of its data. The statement contradicts the recent leaked email screenshot from the hackers, which showed the broadcaster offering a $250,000 bug bounty payment. However, there are doubts over the authenticity of that image.

The hacker (or hacking group) have made their motivation clear: They want HBO to pay up. A video message obtained by the press last week, saw the hackers demand “our six-month salary in bitcoin,” claiming they earn up to $15 million a year extorting organizations.

But, it seems HBO isn’t willing to budge. This despite the fact that the hackers have already dumped episodes of its shows online (including unaired instalments of Ballers, Insecure, and the as-yet-unreleased comedy series Barry), plus an archive of emails from HBO VP Leslie Cohen. And, it doesn’t seem like they’re done yet — the latest leak includes episodes from the upcoming season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

In a statement to Variety, HBO said: “We are not in communication with the hacker and we’re not going to comment every time a new piece of information is released.”

It continued: “It has been widely reported that there was a cyber incident at HBO. The hacker may continue to drop bits and pieces of stolen information in an attempt to generate media attention. That’s a game we’re not going to participate in. Obviously, no company wants their proprietary information stolen and released on the internet. Transparency with our employees, partners, and the creative talent that works with us has been our focus throughout this incident and will remain our focus as we move forward. This incident has not deterred us from ensuring HBO continues to do what we do best.”

HBO has previously remarked that it is conducting a forensic review with the aid of cybersecurity firms and law enforcement. It claims the findings thus far haven’t indicated that its entire e-mail system was compromised.

Source: Variety

Waymo patents cars that soften to safeguard pedestrians

Self-driving cars are supposed to be safer by nature, as they shouldn’t make nearly as many driving errors as humans. However, Waymo might not be willing to take any chances. The Alphabet-owned company recently received a patent for technology that would soften a car’s body in the event of a collision with a pedestrian. The feature would change the rigidity of body panels, bumpers and the hood using underlying cables, rods or springs. The moment sensors detect an imminent pedestrian impact, the car would loosen those underpinnings and create a relatively gentle surface that reduces injuries.

This is just a patent (that was filed in 2015, no less), so there’s no guarantee that Waymo will implement it — the company clearly hasn’t so far. As it stands, there are some unanswered questions about the effectiveness in real life. Would the shell be as durable in the event of a car-on-car crash as a conventional panel? Would the cables and other attachments add a significant amount of weight or cost to the car? And would this increase the risk of injury for people inside the car? Waymo would have to address all of these questions before it could use its technology on the road.

Even if it never reaches real products, the patent (along with an earlier patent for pedestrian ‘flypaper’) sheds light on Waymo’s thinking. It sees a driverless car’s AI as just one part of the solution to road safety, and is seriously considering vehicles that take radical steps to protect collision victims. There are certainly pragmatic reasons for Waymo to be extra-cautious. The public is understandably nervous about autonomous driving tech, to the point where people closely scrutinize every crash. If Waymo can minimize the injuries from self-driving cars, it’s not just saving lives — it’s increasing confidence in the cars’ superiority over their human-piloted counterparts.

Via: Silicon Beat, The Verge

Source: USPTO

Apple Maps Transit Directions Now Available in Hungary

Apple Maps has been updated with transit data in Hungary, enabling iPhone users to navigate with public transportation directions in Budapest, Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Győr, Pécs, and other regions of the country.

In the Budapest metropolitan area, supported vehicles include the Budapest Metro, BKV buses and trams, and BHÉV trains.

MÁV-START trains are also supported throughout Hungary for long-distance routes, such as between Budapest and Debrecen.

Apple Maps gained a Transit tab in iOS 9. The feature lags several years behind Google Maps, but Apple’s public transportation support is exhaustive, mapping all station entrances and listing departure times. Apple Maps also provides detailed advisories about service interruptions and other changes.

At launch, the feature was limited to Baltimore, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto, and over 300 cities in China. Since then, Apple has been working to expand support for public transportation to other cities around the world.

For a regularly updated list of cities with Apple Maps transit, visit the iOS Feature Availability page on Apple’s website.

Tags: Apple Maps, transit, Hungary
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OpenAI bot crushes top players at Dota 2 tournament

Why it matters to you

Some of the most revolutionary advances in artificial intelligence are coming from the world of video games.

The OpenAI team, supported by tech maven Elon Musk, showcased an AI bot at a tournament in Seattle that decisively beat several of the world’s best Dota 2 players in one-on-one matches. The stunning upset over pro gamer and crowd favorite Danylo “Dendi” Isutin was broadcast live from the stage at The International, a $24 million Dota 2 tournament backed by Valve.

In the first match, the machine-learning algorithm defeated Dendi in ten minutes. Dendi then resigned from the second match, and declined a third. On the OpenAI blog, developers boasted that the bot had previously conquered the top 1v1 player in the world and the top overall player in the world.

Musk’s billion-dollar OpenAI venture has a noble goal — nothing less that saving humanity from the impending apocalypse unleashed by our AI overlords. On a far less grander scale, the OpenAI algorithm for Dota 2 was developed by playing many games against itself, also known as “learned bot behavior,” and then utilizing techniques that could take human players years to master. In a new video, OpenAI detailed some of the rather esoteric strategies used in its demonstration matches, such as last hitting (scoring extra gold by dealing the last blow) and raze dodging (using spell-casting lag to their advantage).

One-on-one matches are far less involved than the standard five-on-five bouts in tournament play, which feature a much wider range of techniques and strategies. Still, it’s an impressive accomplishment, and OpenAI plans to have its bots ready for full five-on-five matches at next year’s Invitational.

Greg Brockman from OpenAI, in a video released before the match, remarked that “Dota is a great test for artificial intelligence,” due to the game’s complexity and open-ended style of play. “Our bot is trained entirely through self-play. It starts out completely random with no knowledge of the world.” The bot then plays against itself for thousands of matches, developing strategies and gaining insight as it goes.

In an interview with Business Insider, Brockman expressed his hope that their “self-playing” style of machine learning will lead to far greater advances in AI. “At OpenAI, we’re not just about publishing a paper,” he said. “It’s really about building systems and doing something that would have been impossible before.”

Check out the trailer for ‘CODumentary,’ the unofficial Call of Duty documentary

Why it matters to you

CODumentary is an independent documentary that looks at the success of the franchise and its impact on the video game industry

Devolver Digital films has released a trailer and announced a release date for CODumentary, a self-described “unofficial” documentary detailing the evolution of the blockbuster Call of Duty franchise over the past 15 years. The 93-minute feature will be available worldwide on Video On Demand and Steam on September 19, shortly followed by releases on iTunes, Xbox, Playstation, Google Play, MGo, TubiTV, Indie Reign, and the Indie Rights Vimeo Channel. Blu-Ray and DVD releases are also planned in the future.

The documentary was created in the U.K. by indie publisher Devolver Digital and helmed by producer and industry veteran Jonathan Beales. It was filmed across the United States and Europe over several years, and it even includes footage from the D-Day beaches. The film features interviews and recollections from fans, developers, pro gamers, and industry experts.

In a press release, Beales detailed some of the experiences he went through while writing, producing, and directing the film: “It’s been a great five-year journey and even though the documentary is centered on video games, the story is always about the human input and endeavor involved. The rich experiences of developing games, playing them, or waiting in line to buy them will always remain center stage.”

The series began in 2003 with Call of Duty, a World War II shooter released in a rather crowded field of similar games, but it soon ballooned into a juggernaut. To say the franchise has been a blockbuster moneymaker since that time is an understatement. With total sales exceeding $15 billion, there have been more than 25 games released, spanning 18 different platforms, and more than 250 million copies sold.

The series has lagged behind competitors as of late, but after excursions with black ops, zombies, and even a foray into outer space, the franchise will return to its roots in November 2017 with Call of Duty: WWII. If you want more details on the new game, here’s everything we know so far.

It’s not clear whether the film will delve into some of the many controversies that have swirled around the series over the past 15 years. However, Activision is not involved in the production at all, so let’s hope this upcoming documentary will examine the good, the bad, and the ugly of this landmark video game franchise.

Facebook knew about Snap’s struggles months before the public

You may have only recently discovered that Snap isn’t having much luck attracting new users, but Facebook knew months before — and there’s a chance you helped it find out. The Wall Street Journal has learned just how Facebook has been using app usage data from Onavo Protect, the VPN-based security app from its Onavo team, to see how Snapchat adoption has changed over time. The social network looked at aggregated info about the frequency and duration of app use to determine that Snapchat use slowed down soon after Snapchat-like Instagram Stories became available. In other words, Facebook knew it could double down on its anti-Snap strategy within just a few months.

This isn’t the first time Facebook has used Onavo’s app usage data to make major decisions. The info reportedly influenced the decision to buy WhatsApp, as Facebook knew that WhatsApp’s dominance in some areas (99 percent of Android phones in Spain had it) could cut it out of the loop. Likewise, it added live video after seeing how people used Meerkat and Periscope.

To be clear, Facebook isn’t grabbing this data behind anyone’s back. The company says Onavo Protect is explicit about what info it’s collecting and how it’s used, and that apps have incorporated market research services like this “for years.” The odds are slim that many people read these disclosures before using Protect, but anyone who was concerned could have found them. The revelation here is more about how Facebook uses that information rather than the collection itself.

All the same, it’s that collection that has some observers nervous. Former Federal Trade Commission CTO Askhan Soltani tells the WSJ that Facebook is turning customers’ own data against them by using it to snuff out competitors. Meanwhile, tech lawyer Adam Shevell is concerned that Facebook might be violating Apple’s App Store rules by collecting data that isn’t directly relevant to app use or ads. Apple isn’t commenting on whether or not it is.

No matter what, the news underscores just how hard it is for upstarts to challenge Facebook’s dominant position. How do you compete with an internet giant that can counter your app’s features (or simply buy your company) the moment it becomes popular? This doesn’t make Facebook immune to competition, but app makers definitely can’t assume that they’ll catch the firm off-guard.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Android Wear updates leave glitches with Assistant and reminders

It’s… not the best time to have an Android Wear 2.0 smartwatch on your wrist. Owners are reporting bugs with the wearable software that have either persisted through or appear to be caused by recent updates. Most notably, Google Assistant is outright broken for some users — it won’t do more than basic internet searches. If you want to control your smart lights or set a timer, you might be out of luck.

The other flaw has been hanging around for a while. Android Wear users have had problems with Android Wear falsely markign recurring reminders as completed, and this was supposed to have been fixed in a patch. However, users report that they’re still missing reminders — in at least some cases, the patch did nothing. That’s not exactly heartening if you want reminders to take medicine or pay your bills.

In both cases, Google says it’s aware of the issues and is working on fixes. If you’re affected, you shouldn’t have to wait long. As Android Police points out, though, the rash of serious glitches (which includes older issues like an account copying bug) is becoming a lot to bear. The smartwatch market isn’t particularly healthy right now, and that won’t be helped if Android Wear users can’t count on key features working as promised.

Via: Android Police (1)

Source: Android Wear Help Forum (1), (2)

Best wallpaper apps for Android or iOS

Changing the wallpaper on your phone’s home screen can give it a whole new feel. You get bored of the same background after a while, but if you don’t have a great photo that you want to use, how do you find fresh wallpapers? We have the answer right here — you get a new wallpaper app. These are our picks for the best wallpaper apps for Android or iOS. If you’re specifically after an animated image to use on your Android device, then you should also check out the best free live Android wallpapers. You can always download one of our Digital Trends wallpapers if you want to show us some love.

Backgrounds HD

There’s an enormous variety of different images in this free Android wallpaper app. You can search by category, see what’s new, or even check out what’s popular with other people. There’s also a handy search function.

Download now for:

Android

Wallpapers & Backgrounds

There are more than 10,000 different wallpapers to choose from in this free iPhone app. They’re divided into a range of different categories and there are fresh additions every day. You’ll find backgrounds optimized for a variety of different iPhone models, iPads, and the Apple Watch.

Download now for:

iOS

Muzei Earth View Wallpapers

Love the Google Pixel live wallpapers but don’t want to bother sideloading the fancy images onto a non-supported device? The Muzei Earth View Wallpapers app makes it easy to beam some gorgeous Google Earth photos onto your device on the daily (and even on the hour). That said, the app automatically blurs out each image to ensure your icons are the stars on your home screen (though you can tweak the blur intensity). You should also check out the Muzei Live Wallpaper app for a new wallpaper every day, each based on a famous work of art.

Download now for:

Android

WLPPR

Featuring a gorgeous array of satellite imagery, this wallpaper app for the iPhone will remind you just how beautiful our planet can be. You’ll find a spectacular selection of HD backgrounds with information about what they depict and links to the scientific sources. They come in parallax sizes or as static images if you prefer.

Download now for:

iOS

TapDeck

There is a story behind every picture, but most wallpaper apps don’t go beyond just delivering pretty photos to devices. The wallpapers from TapDeck actually help you discover new content, right on your mobile home screen. You get to curate your wallpaper feed from over 500 brands like the National Geographic and ESPN, as well as choose the topics and frequency your wallpaper is refreshed. When a photo catches your fancy, you simply “swipe up” to read the accompanying article.

Download now for:

Android

Vellum

If you’re seeking a carefully curated selection of classy, artistic imagery to use as your iPhone backdrop, then you’ve found it. There’s a new, limited daily wallpaper that expires at the end of each day, but most of the wallpapers are organized into themed packs. You can preview how each images will appear on your home and lock screens, and there’s also a blur tool.

Download now for:

iOS

Tapet

If you’re wary of using up too much mobile data with a constantly updating live wallpaper, then you should try a wallpaper generator like Tapet. It uses math to create new Material Design-friendly patterns and color schemes on your device, so your home screen will continue to evolve even when you’re offline. All you have to do is choose the starter pattern, colors and interval between each new image, and the app will take it from there. For $4, you can even use these wallpapers as your lock screen if you’re running Android Nougat.

Download now for:

Android

Everpix HD Wallpapers

This free wallpaper app for iOS offers a really broad variety of wallpapers organized into all sorts of categories, from cars and sport, to flowers and fashion. You’ll find plenty of optimized backgrounds that will work with your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.

Download now for:

iOS

Pixel Road Wallpaper

Who can resist a never-ending cartoon featuring your favorite pixel art hero(ine)? The Pixel Road Wallpaper turns real-time data like your current time and weather conditions into an action-packed adventure for your mobile desktop. You just have to pick your 8-bit character from Nyan Cat to Vehicle Cat, make some decisions on its environment, then sit back and enjoy the wild ride!

Download now for:

Android

Live Wallpapers for Me

As you may have guessed from the name, this wallpaper app features animated wallpapers, but you’ll need an iPhone that supports the Live Photos feature to enjoy them (that means an iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, 7, or 7 Plus right now). Your options are split into various categories like Sci-Fi, Nature, Sports, and Time-Lapse.

Download now for:

iOS

How to upload photos to Snapchat Story, and eliminate the ‘white border of shame’

If you pass someone on the street and they’re making weird faces at their phone, they’re most likely using Snapchat, which is a great way to send photos to friends and family. You can post photos or videos that you take in the Snapchat app to your Story — aka, a collection of snaps you can broadcast for 24 hours — but what if you want to post a photo you didn’t take with the Snapchat app? After all, not everyone knows how to upload photos to Snapchat Story using other apps.

In the past, the company shamed photos you took with a different app by putting a white border around the photo, alerting everyone to the fact that it is an old photo. Then Snapchat created the apt-titled Memories feature, allowing you to save photos you take with the Snapchat app. There’s no shameful white border if you use these photos in your Story, but what if you have a photo you took in a different app and you want to put it in your Snapchat Story without the white border?

Do not fret! There is a trick to get a photo from Google Photos or Apple’s Photos app into Snapchat, one that allows you to post the photo without the white border of doom.

The first step is to have the photo in an app that allows for several different folders and lets you move photos between them. The video above covers how to do this with Google Photos in Android, or using Apple’s Photos app, if you’re an iOS user.

If using Google Photos, find the photo you want to upload to Snapchat. Next, select the photo and move it to the designated Snapchat folder. In iOS, find the photo you want to use and then move it into the Snapchat folder housed within the app. The Snapchat folder should already be set up within both Google Photos and the Photos app.

After you’ve moved the photo you want into the Snapchat folder, launch Snapchat. Next, navigate to Settings, select Memories, and tap the Import Snaps from Camera Roll option. Select the photo you want to import and tap Import Snap. Then, return to the main screen in Snapchat and your photo will be in Memories. From here, you can use the photo as you would any other photo you’ve saved within the Snapchat app.

Be careful when importing horizontal photos, however. Snapchat does not like horizontal photos, so you will need to edit a horizontal photo to make it vertical when you first import it. This video shows you how to edit your horizontal photos using the recently-updated Snapseed.

Need more help with the burgeoning social platform? We’ve put together a guide on how to use Snapchat, along with a collection of the best Snapchat tips and tricks.

Microsoft and Intel unite to bring blockchain to businesses with Coco Framework

Why it matters to you

Blockchain technology may seem a bit foreign to most, but Microsoft and Intel are hoping to bring it to businesses around the world.

You still may not know what bitcoin is, but soon, you could be working with the technology that powers the cryptocurrency. Intel and Microsoft are working together to bring blockchain into the workplace, and it’s all contingent on a new framework they’re calling Coco. Heralded as a first-of-its-kind innovation, the goal is to jumpstart widespread adoption, particularly among businesses, of blockchain technology. After all, blockchain allows for secure and speedy transactions, which are key to many modern businesses.

As Microsoft noted in a news release, the Coco Framework is meant to reduce the complexity currently associated with blockchain protocol technology. As such, the company notes, the framework could pave the way for “more complex, real-world blockchain scenarios across industries — like financial services, supply chain and logistics, healthcare and retail — further proving blockchain’s potential to digitally transform business.”

Once integrated with a blockchain network, the Coco Framework could allow for transaction speeds of more than 1,600 transactions per second as well as seamless and confidential data management.

“Blockchain is a transformational technology with the ability to significantly reduce the friction of doing business,” Mark Russinovich, chief technology officer of Azure at Microsoft, said. “We have listened to the needs of our customers and the blockchain community and are bringing foundational functionality with the Coco Framework.”

While this won’t necessarily mean that every company everywhere will suddenly implement blockchain solutions, it does mean that large corporations that have trouble reaching privacy and security at scale could begin to more easily take advantage of a technology that really does lend itself quite well to business.

“We are thrilled to work with Microsoft to bring blockchain to the enterprise,” Rick Echevarria, vice president, Software and Services Group and General Manager, Platforms Security Division at Intel, said. “Our mutual customers are excited by the potential of blockchain. Intel is committed to accelerating the value of blockchains powered by Azure on Intel hardware, by improving the scalability, privacy and security of the solutions based on our technologies.”

So start reading up on your bitcoin and blockchain news, friends. It could soon affect your daily life sooner than you think.