Airport codeword aims to stop X-ray machines blowing marriage proposals

X-ray machines and other security procedures at airports are a necessary nuisance for passengers who have to simply accept it as part of the modern-day travel experience.

But with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, airport security can present a whole new challenge for loved-up folks intending to pop the question when they reach their vacation spot, as a routine bag search could result in an awkward moment as the ring box is pulled out for all to see.

Every year, the machines and their operators blow the cover of at least a few of these people, culminating in a somewhat underwhelming marriage proposal (though definitely memorable!), with the couple surrounded by flustered passengers putting their belts back on instead of the planned idyllic setting of sun, sea, and sand.

In a bid to help keep the secret safe of anyone planning to propose to their partner, an airport in the U.K. has come up with an ingenious solution.

Here’s what you have to do

Officials at East Midlands Airport, about 100 miles north of London, are telling any would-be proposers to email them ahead of their arrival to let them know they’ll have a ring with them in their carry-on baggage. The airport will then send them a code-phrase that they’ll need to say to security personnel in case they’re singled out for a bag check. Once they hear it, security will take the passenger to a different lane to their partner so they won’t see the ring if it’s pulled out of the bag.

Matthew Quinney, East Midlands Airport’s head of security, said it would be “a big damper on someone’s meticulously planned romantic trip if their big surprise was revealed even before they’ve boarded the plane.” And so, with an uptick in proposals expected ahead of February 14, they decided to implement a system to prevent any awkward situations for occurring.

It’s certainly very thoughtful of the airport to consider such matters, and could save some red faces by the X-ray machine.

“With Valentine’s Day coming up, we wanted to reduce the chances of the marriage proposal being ruined at the airport because, frankly, as much as we like the airport, we don’t think it’s the most romantic place to get engaged,” Ioan Reed-Aspley, a spokesman for East Midlands Airport, told BBC Radio.

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Airbnb targets curious travelers as ‘experiences’ expands to 200 U.S. cities

Airbnb showed it’s not all about short-term rentals just over a year ago when it launched Trips for travelers interested in seeking out unique experiences and events while on the road.

With the initiative apparently working well for the New York-based outfit, Airbnb has announced it’s investing $5 million in expanding the experiences element of Trips to include 200 cities in the U.S.

In Airbnb’s own words, the feature enables “small business owners, new entrepreneurs and community non-profits to create immersive experiences for travelers.”

These can include anything “from a podcast production lesson in Chicago, to honey making in the Santa Monica Mountains, and a bike tour through LA with a landscape architect … the options are never-ending.”

The company said it now offers 4,000 experiences globally, with 1,000 of those taking place in the U.S. The expansion in the coming months means many more are on the way.

Growing its services beyond its core business appears to be paying off for Airbnb, which said that since launching experiences in 2016, global weekly guest bookings have risen by more than 2,000 percent year-on-year, while the number of experiences has increased by 500 percent.

Airbnb points out that although a lot of its experiences are offered by small business owners and entrepreneurs, others are given by local non-profits who put the proceeds back into their organizations.

It offers the example of Vy, one of Airbnb’s “Social Impact experience” hosts located in Harlem, New York City. Keen to share her passion for gospel, jazz, and rhythm, Vy founded the Mama Foundation of the Arts.

“Her foundation preserves this art form for current and future generations, [and] provides quality training and employment in the performing arts to both youths and adults,” Airbnb said.

Vy’s Airbnb experience involves an informal chat (with wine and other refreshments) about gospel music and why it’s so important to Harlem. This is followed by what Vy promises is “a rare peek” into an award-winning choir’s rehearsal where guests are “encouraged to cheer and sing along before enjoying a jubilant mini-concert.” All the more jubilant for the imbibed wine, no doubt.

Airbnb explains that 100 percent of guest payments go back to the Mama Foundation of the Arts, “allowing Vy to grow her foundation while educating travelers about Harlem and the gospel music that has long been integral to the community.”

To explore the full range of experiences offered by Airbnb, check out this webpage on its site where you can input particular cities to refine your search.

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OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition goes back on sale in India for limited time

OnePlus brings back the Star Wars variant of the OnePlus 5T following popular demand.

The OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition made its debut in India on December 14, featuring a Sandstone white finish complemented by red accents for the Alert Slider. Priced at ₹38,999 ($615)— or just ₹1,000 ($15) more than the standard 128GB model — the phone was a steal for what it offered, and predictably sold out in a matter of weeks. However, OnePlus is bringing back the Star Wars variant for a limited time following popular demand.

The phone is now up for sale from OnePlus’ website for ₹38,999, and there’s a buyback program as well if you’re looking to trade in your device to get your hands on the 5T Star Wars edition. As a refresher, the model comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and has a 6-inch Optic AMOLED display, Snapdragon 845, 16MP + 20MP cameras at the back, 16MP front shooter, and a 3300mAh battery with Dash Charge.

OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition review

OnePlus launched the Lava Red OnePlus 5T in the country on January 20, and it looks like that particular version is already sold out less than ten days from its debut. With India being one of the top markets for the brand, it’s clear that there’s a lot of interest in the 5T.

There’s no telling how long the OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition will be up for grabs, so if you’re interested, hit up the link below to get your hands on the device — Easter egg and all.

See at OnePlus India

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ESA picks two tiny spacecraft to study the dark side of the Moon

Tiny cube spacecraft aren’t just useful around Earth’s orbit. The European Space Agency has chosen two winners in a competition to build cubesats that will study the dark side of the Moon. The first, the Lunar Meteoroid Impact Orbiter (Lumio), would circle around the Moon’s far side to map meteor bombardments by looking for bright flashes. The Lunar Volatile and Minearology Mapping Orbiter (VMMO), meanwhile, would study the permanently darkened Shackleton Crater near the lunar south pole to look for water ice and other materials that could be useful for colonists. It would keep watch for radiation, too.

Both devices are 12-unit cubesats that would be roughly as large as an “airline cabin bag.” The differences mainly come down to sensors — Lumio would use an optical camera, while VMMO would rely on a miniature laser.

The winners will work with the ESA on mission plans in February and March. Just when they’ll launch and how long they’ll stay active will hinge on those plans, but VMMO is expected to take 260 days to build the water map for the crater.

Provided everything works as expected, the minuscule vessels could help usher in an era of lower-cost lunar exploration. Until now, lunar probes have typically been large and costly designs that forced scientists to choose missions relatively carefully. Cubesats open the door to Moon operations that weren’t realistic before, and could help fill in knowledge gaps about our closest celestial neighbor.

Via: Parabolic Arc

Source: ESA

Facebook teaches you how to keep your data private

Facebook isn’t the first name you think of for robust user privacy, but it’s hoping a new educational campaign will change that. Ahead of the introduction of new EU data protection laws, the big blue social network has revealed its “privacy principles” for the first time. It’s also adding videos to the News Feed that will show users how to manage the ads they see, delete old posts, and what happens to their info when they delete their account.

Under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), companies must make it easier for users to export and delete their data, and report data breaches within 72 hours. The rules will be implemented on May 25th.

Not to be confused with its terms and conditions, Facebook’s privacy principles are essentially promises to keep your data safe, to show you how to take command of it, and to improve the tools you use. Meanwhile, its educational videos (which will run on and off Facebook), will regurgitate the info already available in its Privacy Basics portal.

Facebook is still battling the spread of misinformation on its News Feed, most recently by prioritizing friends over publishers. In addition, the company will let its 2 billion-strong community rank news sources for trustworthiness.

Along with Twitter and Google, Facebook has appeared before the Senate Intelligence committee over inflammatory ads on its site linked to Russian “Internet Research Agency” (IRA) troll accounts. Greater transparency has followed, with the social network admitting that Russian propaganda was viewed by almost 150 million accounts when including posts on Instagram.

Source: Facebook

HomePod Owners With an iTunes Match or Apple Music Subscription Can Access Their iCloud Music Library Using Siri

Apple began taking pre-orders for its HomePod on Friday, but the company has remained unusually reticent regarding some of the Siri-based smart speaker’s finer functions.

Last week we learned that HomePod can play songs purchased through iTunes Music as well as stream podcasts and Beats 1 radio, but Apple didn’t address questions about the device’s handling of iTunes Match content stored in iCloud Music Libraries.

For those unaware, iCloud Music Library lets users upload or “match” up to 100,000 songs from their personal music library with the DRM-free iTunes Store catalog, without eating into their standard iCloud storage allocation. The feature comes as part of Apple’s iTunes Match service ($24.99 a year) and is also included with every Apple Music subscription ($9.99 monthly).

As it turns out, both iTunes Match and Apple Music subscribers will be able to use HomePod’s Siri voice-based activation to access tracks stored in iCloud Music Library. The detail was confirmed on Sunday by Apple, as relayed by iMore’s Serenity Caldwell:

Okay, got some HomePod clarification: iTunes Match *and* Apple Music users can access their iCloud Music Library via Siri. 🎊

— Serenity Caldwell (@settern) January 28, 2018

To reiterate, the user whose iCloud account is linked to HomePod can access their Apple Music subscription, tracks stored in their Cloud Music Library, and iTunes Store purchases via Siri. However, Siri will not be able to control any content streamed over AirPlay from supporting devices.

Meanwhile, HomePod owners without an Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription can still play music they’ve purchased on iTunes, as well as stream podcasts and Beats 1 radio, but Siri requests for playing songs by name, genre, artist, and so on will not be available. Apple has still to clarify how HomePod handles Family Sharing subscriptions to Apple Music, and whether the speaker’s Bluetooth 5.0 specification means it will accept pairing requests from devices over the Bluetooth protocol.

Apple has positioned the HomePod as a speaker that can stream Apple Music, but with built-in Siri, users can also send messages, set timers and reminders, check the news, control HomeKit-enabled smart home accessories, and complete several other tasks without needing to take out their iPhone. The speaker is equipped with spatial awareness and Apple-engineered audio technology, including a seven‑tweeter array and high-excursion woofer. It stands almost seven inches tall and is powered by Apple’s A8 chip.

HomePod is available in the United States ($349), UK (£319), and Australia ($449). Apple is currently taking pre-orders for the HomePod, with the device set to ship on Friday, February 9.

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Intel warned Chinese tech firms of Spectre and Meltdown ahead of U.S. government

Intel warned certain customers, including Chinese tech firms, of the Spectre and Meltdown security flaws before notifying the U.S. government, The Wall Street Journal reported. The flaws were first discovered by Google’s Project Zero team in June of last year. Intel held off on disclosing the issue while it worked on possible fixes. The company planned to make the announcement on January 9, but The Register broke the story on January 2. Intel then confirmed the news the next day.

Intel did notify several major tech firms in an effort to limit the potential damage and help work on fixes. A representative from the Department of Homeland Security said that the department did not learn of the flaws until the news was broken, however. Homeland Security is often notified of such issues before the public, and often acts as a source of guidance for how to address them.

The NSA was also uninformed of the problem. Rob Joyce, the White House’s top official on matters of cybersecurity, sent out a tweet saying that the NSA was unaware of the vulnerabilities.

Jake-No nuance to my answer. No lawyerly caveats. NSA did not know about these flaws, nor did they exploit them. I don’t put my good name on the line lightly. I understand you are disinclined to believe, 1/2.

— Rob Joyce (@RobJoyce45) January 13, 2018

Intel refused to name any of the companies it warned prior to the scheduled January 9 announcement. That being said, several of the companies had been identified, including Microsoft, Amazon, Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo, and Chinese cloud-computing firm Alibaba Group Holding. A representative from Intel said that it had planned to brief others, including the U.S. government, prior to the January 9th announcement. However, the company said that it was unable to do so due to the fact that the story was reported sooner than expected.

Jake Williams, a former employee of the National Security Agency and current president of Rendition Infosec LLC, told the Wall Street Journal that the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities would have been of great interest to any intelligence organization.

Williams also warned that it is a “near certainty” that the Chinese government was aware of Spectre and Meltdown before the U.S., given that the Communist Party closely monitors such communications.

Representatives from the Chinese government did not comment on this story. However, in the past, the country’s foreign ministry has said that it is “resolutely opposed” to all forms of hacking.

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A 5G network owned by the United States government? It’s not going to happen.

Image source: Wikimedia

The U.S. government considering its own 5G network is nothing new, frightening, or likely to happen.

Could the Trump White House be pondering a nationalized 5G network? Yes, it’s distinctly possible. But it’s also highly unlikely to happen and the story is being blown dramatically out of proportion.

The latest Twitterverse kerfuffle was kicked up by an Axios report alleging consideration of “an unprecedented federal takeover of a portion of the nation’s mobile network to guard against China”. That’s an alarming claim, no matter what side of the political aisle you’re on. Axios is a relatively new publication, but they’ve made a name for themselves since their 2016 launch with a number high profile exclusives and well-sourced and researched pieces. This 5G report is well-sourced, but also takes a number of alarmist steps that ignore how the U.S. federal government actually functions.

Here’s what Axios is reporting:

We’ve got our hands on a PowerPoint deck and a memo — both produced by a senior National Security Council official — which were presented recently to senior officials at other agencies in the Trump administration. … The documents say America needs a centralized nationwide 5G network within three years.

Axios goes on to describe two options laid out in the report: that the government builds its own 5G network or that the various competing carriers in the US build their own. It’s worth noting that this is a proposal made by a single NSC member. This is how the government is supposed to work. The NSC is just one of many competing interests in the federal government, and its mandate is to advance strategies to maintain and enhance the security of the United States. It would indeed be in the national defense interests of the U.S. military to have a government-controlled high-speed low-latency nation-wide wireless network — rapid and clear communication is vital for successful military operations, and a 5G network would be enormously useful in that.

But… the NSC is still just one of many loud voices in the United States government. The Departments of State and Commerce and Justice would all have competing opinions on the proposal for a federal network, from international trade implications to pushback from the carriers that spend billions on lobbying. Not to mention the cost of such an endeavor.

There’s precedent for large government projects used by civilians: the Interstate Highway System and GPS, for example.

There is historical precedent for large investments that would support both military operations and civilian needs. The Interstate Highway System was funded by the federal government not just to dramatically improve inter-state travel and commerce — the primary impetus for its creation was the need to be able to quickly deploy military force throughout the United States in the event of a foreign invasion. The constellation of GPS satellites we rely on for navigating the world today is a U.S. Air Force project that was originally built for military purposes (and the government still has a switch to downgrade GPS accuracy for non-U.S. military users if deemed necessary).

Talk of a federally owned communications cellular network has been going on for decades, but it was kicked into high gear after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The strikes on New York City and the Pentagon didn’t just reveal the unpreparedness of the United States for such an unsophisticated attack — it also exposed weaknesses in the civilian-owned and operated cellular networks of the time. On that day the cellular networks in New York and DC were overwhelmed by the sheer number of users trying to access services — and that was well before today’s high-speed wireless internet services.

The biggest pushback would come from cellular network operators. Every U.S. carrier has already invested heavily in 5G, from research to live regional tests to making preparatory upgrades to their transmission infrastructure to handle the eventual roll-out of 5G-capable transceivers and consumer devices. Billions of dollars have already been laid out with the expectation that there will be much more invested in the networks and billions more reaped in profit. You can be certain that Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint have already contacted their lobbying firms to communicate their displeasure.

Specialized equipment has long been a part of the military’s inventory. Just this weekend the story of expensive new refrigerators for Air Force One provoked outrage once the context of what the purchase actually consisted of (five bespoke flight-grade walk-in cooling units to store up to 3,000 meals on what is essentially a flying White House). Equipment like tanks and aircraft carriers and grenades is all exclusively manufactured for the military, to its specification. But the military has long also used off-the-shelf civilian hardware when it meets its needs and costs. Walk into the Pentagon and you’ll find government-issued HP and Dell laptops and officers walking around with issued iPhones running on Verizon and AT&T.

The United States has long had an interplay between the needs of the federal government and the civilian population. Sometimes there are things that only the government could effectively fund, organize, and operate, like the interstate system or GPS satellites. The costs behind those become easier to justify when they’re also available to civilian users. Conversely, there are things the civilian market is far better at — AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile all have enormous expertise in cellular networks, they’ve already made huge investments in their network infrastructure that they’ll be able to leverage in building their 5G networks, and they’re already responsive to the needs of their customers — both civilian and government.

This proposal was dead in the water before it was ever presented. It’s almost amusing, following the Trump administration’s push against Net Neutrality being framed as unleashing the potential of web services and internet providers, to now see a proposal to create a national 5G network that the government would then lease to the carriers.

Proposals like this are how the government works. Just because somebody made a PowerPoint deck doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.

It’s worth repeating: this is just a proposal from one part of the government. Axios notes that it was already presented to other agencies, where I have no doubt it was met with significant resistance, if not outright derision. After all, the Trump government is supposed to be one that gets out of corporate business (for better or worse), and “we’re going to build a 5G network and you’ll just rent access from us because we’re the federal government” runs 100% counter to that.

There’s much the government could do to promote and accelerate the development and deployment of 5G networks in the United States, though it’d have to come with oversight than the billions of government subsidies paid to Verizon for a fiber network it never built. Grants to ensure deployment into rural areas, subsidies for low income access, regulation clean-up to ease the way for new installations, funding of university and corporate research projects in artificial intelligence and domestic development of these technologies — all of this is already within the wheelhouse of what the federal government can do, and sometimes already does.

Proposals like this are just how the government works. The military side of the equation is going to propose everything they can think of to ensure the most efficient and most effective military they can imagine, while the diplomats will propose their own missions and initiatives to promote their goals, and the economists are going to come with an entirely different set of proposals about trade and monetary policy and financial regulations. These will all be simultaneously complementary and contradictory. This is the nature of government — a dozen departments with competing goals in different arenas jockeying for limited resources. Their proposals are just part of what feeds into the decision-making process of the President and Congress, which are supposed to strike a balance between the needs of the military, business, international partners, civilians, and (of course) politics.

I would be utterly shocked if a government-owned 5G network ever comes to fruition. It’d be massively expensive and inefficient, not to mention well outside the government’s expertise and capability. It’d also see immediate and costly legal challenges, not to mention stand on legally tricky ground when the carriers have already paid billions to the government for the frequency licenses they need to deploy their own 5G networks.

The government would also have to pay for this somehow, and after a $1.5 trillion-dollar tax cut, there’s not a lot of spare cash laying around for GovCell.

Android Go: Everything you need to know

Android Go will significantly lower the barrier to entry for smartphones in emerging markets.

For a few years now, Google has been saying that its next billion users will come from countries like India. With a projected 500 million users estimated to make their way online for the first time over the next five years, Google sees a lot of potential in catering to this market.

The company even has a Next Billion Users team that designs products and solutions for the Indian market. Helmed by Caesar Sengupta, the unit has rolled out payment services like Tez, a minimalist app that hooks into the government’s UPI interface for seamless bank transfers, a lightweight storage manager in Files Go, free public Wi-Fi at thousands of train stations across the country, and much more.

Its most ambitious bet is Android Go — a lightweight version of Android optimized for entry-level devices. Google has tried its hand at the budget segment previously with the Android One initiative, but Android Go is a reimagination of the budget segment entirely. During a visit to the country last year, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that budget phones need to cost in the vicinity of $30 to be viable for the millions of Indians to consider making their first smartphone purchase. The Android Go platform is the realization of those efforts.

Android Go isn’t that different from the regular Android

Android Go uses the same foundation as the standard version of Android, but with several stability and performance tweaks thrown in to ensure it works on devices with underpowered hardware. The first version of Android Go is built on Android 8.1 Oreo, and the OS also has data management features integrated at a system-wide level, giving you the ability to closely monitor data usage.

And like all devices certified by Google, Android Go phones will come with Google Play Protect out of the box. The security suite leverages machine learning to look for malicious apps on your phone. It also constantly scans your app installs — even those that haven’t been downloaded from the Play Store — to ensure your device is secure.

The platform comes with its own suite of apps

As Android Go is designed primarily to run on phones with less than 1GB of RAM, Google has rolled out lightweight versions of its apps tailored for the platform.

Designed from the ground up, Google Go gives you the ability to query the web and find recommendations, delivering a similar experience as the full-fledged Google app for a fraction of the install size. That’s the same story with Google Assistant Go, which brings Assistant to devices with less than 1GB of RAM for the first time.

As for Gboard Go, the lightweight keyboard retains the same feature-set as the standard version — autocorrect, voice typing, multilingual language support, emojis and GIFs — but in a smaller package. The same holds true for Maps Go and Gmail Go as well. Chrome in Android Go will have Data Saver enabled by default.

Files Go is Google’s new storage manager, and it is fantastic. It does a great job of removing old files and cleaning the device cache, and it also comes with a feature that lets you easily send and receive files.

The lightweight apps combined with fewer pre-installed apps means you’ll get double the amount of storage on a phone with 8GB of internal storage when seen against the standard version of Android. The Play Store on Android Go devices will highlight lightweight apps that are designed to work best on the platform.

Qualcomm and MediaTek have pledged support

Both Qualcomm and MediaTek have announced support for the Android Go platform. Qualcomm has mentioned that low and mid-tier Snapdragon chipsets will be powering Android Go phones, and while we don’t have more to go on, but the fact that we’ll see Snapdragon branding indicates we’ll see some 2xx or even 4xx chipsets making their way to these phones.

As for MediaTek, the company has announced that the MT6739, MT6737, and MT6580 platforms will be used by upcoming Android Go phones. The MT6580 will be used by 3G-only devices, whereas the MT6739 and the MT6737 will power 4G-enabled handsets.

Coming later this quarter for under $50

With decent budget phones from the likes of Xiaomi available for under $100, Android Go devices need to cost significantly lower for them to be attractive to buyers in emerging markets. If early rumors are any indication, it looks like the first wave of devices will retail for around the $30 mark.

That’s for the Micromax Bharat Go, which is likely going to be the world’s first Android Go device. The device is slated to make its debut in India in the coming weeks and is estimated to be priced at ₹2,000 ($32), which gives us a baseline for what Android Go devices will generally cost. We don’t have a lot of details on the hardware powering the Bharat Go, but it’s said to feature 512MB or 1GB of RAM along with 8GB of internal storage. With an official unveil scheduled for the end of January, we don’t have to wait long to find out what’s in store.

With Android Go, Google is aiming to show that it’s possible to deliver a decent user experience on sub-$50 devices. By optimizing the software to run effectively on low-powered hardware and introducing lightweight versions of popular apps, Google is finally on track to provide a cost-effective solution for those looking to make the switch from feature phones.

Your thoughts?

What do you think of Android Go? Let us know in the comments!

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MIT’s ColorFab can 3D print jewelry that changes colors

3D printing can already turn your amazing ideas into tangible objects, but a new technique out of MIT CSAIL could lead to even better results. The method, called ColorFab, gives you the ability to create objects that can change colors after you print them out. You can use it, for instance, to create a phone case or a pair of earrings that matches your red dress today and will also match your blue pantsuit tomorrow. ColorFab’s magic lies in the CSAIL team’s custom-made ink, which has base dyes and light-adaptable or “photochromic” dyes. The light-adaptable dyes bring out the color in the base dyes when exposed to UV light. Under visible light, the colors disappear, and the ink turns transparent.

To use ColorFab, you’ll have to upload your 3D model to its interface and then pick a color pattern. The parts of the object that can transform have a pixelated design, and you can choose which pixels to activate (change color) or deactive (switch back to transparent) within ColorFab’s interface. Based on the team’s tests, it takes the system 23 minutes to change an object’s colors, but they believe they can make the wait time shorter by using more powerful lights or adding more light-adaptable dyes. In addition, the team is also working to conjure up a design that allows a ColorFab object to create secondary hues.

Once the method has been refined further, the researchers might adapt it for use by the garment industry, since they envision a future wherein the technique can be applied to to clothing, as well. The researchers’ goal isn’t just to enable the creation of color-changing goods, though — they’re also hoping that ColorFab can lessen the waste we produce:

MIT professor and team member Stefanie Mueller explained:

“Largely speaking, people are consuming a lot more now than twenty years ago, and they’re creating a lot of waste. By changing an object’s color, you don’t have to create a whole new object every time.”