Darkroom 3.3 Update Adds Support for RAW+JPEG Composite Image Editing

Popular pro-grade photo editing software Darkroom reached version 3.3 on Saturday, bringing improved image format handling to the app and smoothing out a handful of new features that were introduced in November’s iPhone X focused redesign.

Last month, Darkroom v3.2 embraced Apple’s latest dual-lens camera smartphone with a brand new 5.8-inch user interface and support for Wide Gamut Color, which makes the most of the OLED screen’s full-color depth and contrast. It also received a 20 percent boost in performance thanks to its implementation of Metal 2 rendering.

The big news in today’s v3.3 update is added support for RAW+JPEG images. Now, when Darkroom detects that a photo is a RAW+JPG composite image, it will default to treating it as a RAW image.

The feature is designed to appeal to DSLR users who prefer shooting in RAW, as well as bring Darkroom into a greater level of harmony with the Halide camera app, which is often included in user workflows. The only caveat is that Darkroom users won’t have access to the JPEG variant of the composite image, although the developers aim to add support for the file type in the future.

Moving on, Darkroom now has an in improved Modify Original export option which aims to make workflows that rely on multiple apps more seamless. Users can now continue editing on top of previous edits made either by Apple’s native Photos app or other third-party apps.

Previously, Darkroom had an issue where image edits would be double applied when the image was edited in another app, after being exported from Darkroom using Modify Original. That’s now been fixed. This update also fixes an issue where depth information captured using Portrait Mode would be lost upon export.

Elsewhere, an option has been added to the recently introduced Auto Align setting that allows users to turn it off or back on at will. A bug has also been fixed that caused the app icon to show incorrectly on iPad.

Darkroom is a free download from the App Store and includes in-app purchases for some tools. [Direct Link]. The developers are currently promoting a weeklong holiday giveaway: users are encouraged to share their Darkroom-edited holiday photos with the #darkroomapp hashtag on Instagram, to be in for a chance to win one of 50 promo codes to unlock absolutely everything in the app.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTag: DarkroomBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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Google Poaches Top Mobile Chip Designer John Bruno From Apple

Google has reportedly poached one of Apple’s top chip designers, as it continues to pursue plans to design its own chipsets for consumer devices like its Pixel range of smartphones.

According to The Information, the search giant has hired well-regarded Apple chip expert John Bruno, who has worked on silicon architecture for iPhones since 2012. Before moving offices to Cupertino to help with Apple’s ARM-based mobile chip push, Bruno worked at Advanced Micro Devices and led chip design at ATI Technologies.

Bruno founded and managed Apple’s silicon competitive analysis group, which sought to keep the company ahead of competitors in the area of chip performance. He follows several other experienced chip engineers who have defected to Google from Apple over the past year, including Manu Gulati, Wonjae (Gregory) Choi and Tayo Fadelu.

The hires highlight Google’s attempt to keep pace with Apple, which has been designing its own mobile chips since 2010. Recently, Google said it would sell chips known as Cloud Tensor Processing Units (TPU) to other companies so that they could benefit from its deep learning tool set, TensorFlow. However, the recruitment drive is more likely to be aimed at making own-branded chips for Google’s Pixel smartphones.

Indeed, Google’s first mobile chip could be right around the corner, according to Jim McGregor, an analyst at Tirias Research who spoke to The Information. With the help of off-the-shelf intellectual property, the Mountain View-based tech giant could have a multifunctional system-on-a-chip up and running in as soon as six months, McGregor said.

Tag: ARM
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Our solar system may have formed inside a giant space bubble

There are various theories about how the solar system formed, but scientists haven’t been able to agree on a single model that explains all the quirks of our corner of space as it exists today. Now, scientists at the University of Chicago have come up with a new model that explains an enduring mystery about the early solar system. They hypothesize that our solar system formed inside a massive space bubble, which was produced by a star 40 to 50 times the size of our sun. The research was published today in Astrophysical Journal.

These giant stars are called Wolf-Rayet stars and burn the hottest of any stars in our universe. This results in a stellar wind that envelops the star in the elements it’s producing, which eventually forms a bubble around the star. Dust and gas become trapped inside the shell of this bubble, which is a great place for new stars to form.

via GIPHY

The current prevailing hypothesis about the formation of our solar system is that it formed in the neighborhood of a supernova. However, this theory fails to explain the abundance of the isotope aluminum-26 in our early solar system, nor does it address our lack of the isotope iron-60. The proportions of these two elements in our early solar system, as compared to the rest of the galaxy, is something of a cosmic mystery. But the Wolf-Rayet theory may have provided a solution: While supernovae release both isotopes in some quantity, Wolf-Rayet stars produce aluminum-26, but not iron-60.

The giant star may be long gone (whether through a supernova explosion or direct collapse into a black hole), but before it died, the shell would have partially collapsed. The result was the birth of our solar system. While nothing is really for certain when it comes to what we know about space, it’s certainly an interesting theory that deserves further study.

Source: University of Chicago

Google poaches a key Apple chip designer

Google is still snapping up Apple’s chip design talent as part of its ongoing quest to create custom processors. The Information has learned that the search giant has hired John Bruno, the designer who founded and ran Apple’s silicon competitive analysis group — that is, the team that helped iPhone and iPad processors stay ahead of rivals. It’s not certain what he’ll be doing at Google (his LinkedIn profile lists him only as a “System Architect”), but he started at graphics veteran ATI and rose to become a chief engineer at AMD, where he led the design of Fusion processors.

It’s reasonable to presume that the influx of new talent (which also includes veterans from Qualcomm) will be used to expand Google’s variety of custom processors. Right now, its only in-house silicon is the Pixel Visual Core imaging chip inside the Pixel 2. The question is just what Google will do with Bruno and others. It’s tempting to assume that its next step is a full-fledged CPU for its phones, especially given Bruno’s background in graphics but it could also produce other specialized chips (such as AI accelerators or display controllers).

Whatever Bruno works on, it’s evident that Google is committed to giving its phones (and possibly other devices) hardware that stands out. It’s not hard to see why it would go that route. Up until the Pixel 2, Google’s Pixel and Nexus phones only occasionally stood out hardware-wise and frequently used parts you could find in competing models. You bought them mainly for the software (such as pure Android or the Pixel’s HDR+ camera mode), and any hardware perks were just gravy. If Google can design chips that are genuinely faster or more efficient than what you find in competing products, you may have a good reason to choose a Pixel even if you only care about raw performance.

Source: The Information, LinkedIn

Amazon buys Blink in a bid to beef up its connected home lineup

Blink, the wire-free home monitoring system, has been acquired by Amazon. According to a release posted to Blink’s website, nothing will change for its customers at the moment. The company will continue to operate and support its products as per usual.

Right now, Blink offers an indoor and an outdoor home security camera, as well as a video doorbell. A home security system is available for preorder. The company got its start thanks to a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $1 million, and it’s known for offering wire-free products that have simple installation procedures and operate on regular batteries.

It’s not a surprising move for Amazon; after all, the company introduced the Cloud Cam just a couple of months ago. Additionally, its “Key” allows drivers to unlock your door and drop off packages inside your home. Clearly, with Alexa and its Echo line, the company is looking to extend its domination into the home security market.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Blink

OkCupid’s dating profiles will soon push for a ‘real’ name

OkCupid is clearly eager to cast off many dating site traditions. Next on the chopping block: usernames. The service has announced that it will require “real” first names in dating profiles (in a tweet it said “You do not need to use your government name or even your full first name”), starting now with an initial test group and rolling out to everyone over time. As the company explains, it doesn’t want the real you to be “hidden beneath another layer of mystique” — it figures that your profile should offer insight into your personality, not your handle.

To some extent, OkCupid is just joining the modern era. Numerous other dating apps require your first name, so you’re not left wondering how to address someone when you meet them in person. And of course, creeps may be more willing to message you if they can hide behind an alias.

However, the decision reduces your chances to maintain your anonymity. Real first names theoretically make it easier for harassers to track people down or attack them based on their gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Facebook’s initial approach to real names created serious problems for women, the LGBT community and others who are trying to avoid harassers, stalkers and bigots.

OkCupid tells Engadget that it takes privacy “very seriously” and notes that it has taken some steps to make it difficult to creep on others, such as removing profiles from its Google search index. It also reiterates that it’s not asking for anything more than your first name, and that you can use a nickname if you prefer. You still have some wiggle room to remain elusive. Even so, the policy shift gives you one less place where you can completely mask who you are until you’re comfortable revealing more.

We love our members. You do not need to use your government name or even your full first name. Use the name, nickname, or initials you’d like your date to call you on OkCupid.

— OkCupid (@okcupid) December 22, 2017

Source: OkCupid (Medium)

Russian hackers have been targeting journalists since 2014

The hacker group called Fancy Bear (which has been linked to Russian intelligence agency GRU) has been accused of the leaking of the Democratic National Convention emails, the distribution of malware that hijaked Ukranian artillery guns, phishing campaign that used a combination of two zero-day exploits found in Adobe Flash and Windows and an attack not only on German parliament but also the recent German and French elections. So no one should be surprised by the latest report that Fancy Bear has been targeting journalists.

According to an AP report, the hackers have been targeting Russian, Ukranian, Moldova, the Baltics and American journalists since 2014. The New York Times was a huge target for the group with phishing campaigns aimed at 50 of the publication’s reporters. Cybersecurity firm Secureworks obtained a list of journalists targeted by the group which included those at the NYT.

The AP reports that at least 200 reporters were in Fancy Bears crosshairs between 2014 and a few months ago. One was Russian television anchor Pavel Lobkov who was hacked and his private Facebook messages leaked to the public. Much the same way the DNC emails were leaked ahead of the 2016 US election.

The revelations that a hacking group that’s been linked to Russian intelligence has been going after political journalists both abroad and in the United States is just additional fodder for reports that the Russian government interfered with the 2016 US elections. The group is already known for hacking and disseminating emails from the DNC.

This is in addition to the thousands of Russia-linked inflammatory ads and promoted news stories that proved to be false that spread through Facebook ahead of the election. Throw in the special prosecutor’s investigation into collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government and the Fancy Bear attacks just seem like an just another cog in the machine meant to control US politics.

Source: AP

SpaceX Falcon 9 launch leaves a creepy cloud over LA

It seems like everyone in southern California is looking up and asking “what is that?” this evening, and after revelations earlier this week about government investigations into unidentified flying objects, UFO is a popular answer. In truth, the trails were left by a SpaceX launch in the last hour from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara, CA. You can watch a live video feed of the launch below.

Couldn’t have timed that better. Caught the @spacex launch from Vandenberg while flying the chopper. (Hashtag Blessed)

A post shared by Micah Muzio (@micahmuzio) on Dec 22, 2017 at 5:48pm PST

@spacex launch seen over the Valley! 🚀🚀

A post shared by Gillian Sheldon (@glamourous1) on Dec 22, 2017 at 5:33pm PST

Real-time electricity map shows the sources of the energy you use

If you’ve ever wondered where your electricity comes from, and how much carbon dioxide (CO2) is emitted in order to get it to your plug, look no further than the simply named Electricity Map. A new online tool that aggregates import and export electricity data in real time, it’s able to show you the source of the electricity you use, as well as retrace the CO2 emissions based on the manner by which the electricity was produced at its origin.

“Coal power plants represent almost a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions,” Olivier Corradi, a French-Danish data scientist who leads the project, told Digital Trends. “Policies unfortunately tend to focus less on closing coal power plants and more on how much wind or solar was installed. We wanted to have an objective, quantified view about the true physical emissions related to electricity consumption in order to guide debates to something more constructive. We strongly believe information precedes action, and we have substantially been lacking information in public debates.”

When the project started a year ago, the researchers included only a few countries on the map. Since then, a community has formed around the open-source project, and its creators have been able to expand to multiple countries around the world. At present, Electricity Map covers Europe, most of Latin America, Australia, parts of India, and is currently in the process of expanding to include the United States (California is already up and running).

For each region, visitors can analyze electricity production by source and carbon emissions — with production broken down into wind, solar, hydro, hydro storage, battery storage, geothermal, biomass, nuclear, gas, coal, and oil categories. You can also identify the origin of electricity in the past 24 hours, carbon intensity during that time, and even rank the different countries to see which are doing best.

“We’re aiming to be the Google Maps of electricity, and our objective is to digitalize electricity fluxes around the world,” Corradi said.

If you’re at all interested in getting up-to-date information about how the power you use may be affecting the environment, this is totally worth checking out. Heck, you can also sign up to get involved yourself.

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With CRISPR, geneticists have a powerful new weapon in the battle against ALS

For many people today, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, aka ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is most commonly linked with both the fundraising Ice Bucket Challenge and one its most famous patients, the physicist Stephen Hawking. However, it could soon have a brand-new distinction — the next disease to be treatable using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology.

In work carried out by researchers at University of California, Berkeley, scientists have been able to disable the defective gene that triggers ALS in mice. While they didn’t get rid of the disease permanently, the treatment did extend the mice’s life span by 25 percent. The therapy delayed the onset of the muscle-wasting symptoms that characterize ALS, which ultimately become fatal when they spread to the muscles which control breathing.

“Some diseases, like Lou Gehrig’s disease, are caused by gene mutations that lead a protein in our cells to malfunction,” David Schaffer, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and director of the Berkeley Stem Cell Center, told Digital Trends. “A very promising approach is to disable or delete that mutated gene. CRISPR/Cas9 is a highly promising technology to do so, but this capability needs to be delivered to the target cells. We put together CRISPR-Cas9 with a highly promising gene delivery, based on a virus, in order to disable the disease causing gene SOD1 in an animal model of ALS.”

The mice in the study were genetically engineered to exhibit a mutated human gene that is responsible for around 20 percent of all inherited forms of ALS. The team then used a specially engineered virus that delivers a gene encoding the Cas9 protein, which in turn disabled the mutant gene responsible for ALS. The treated mice lived one month longer than the typical four-month life span of mice with ALS. An average healthy mouse lives for around two years.

Hopefully, were this to be carried over to humans, those time spans would be extended. “There are challenges that remain before extending into human studies, such as using an improved virus optimized for humans, but we think there is a clear path to doing so,” Schaffer said.

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Science Advances.

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