This algorithm can hide secret messages in regular-looking text

Whether it’s hiding messages under the stamps on letters or writing in invisible ink, people have always found ingenious ways of using whatever technology they have available to write secret messages. A new project carried out by researchers at Columbia University continues this tradition by using some deep learning technology to embed encrypted messages in otherwise ordinary looking text.

“Fontcode” works by making incredibly subtle modifications to everyday fonts like Times New Roman and Helvetica, embedding coded messages inside them. These changes are so subtle that the average person viewing the text would be incredibly unlikely to notice them. They include such alterations as slightly sharper curves or a minutely thicker stem on a particular letter. Each letter has 52 different variations, which makes it possible to encode both lowercase and capital letters within every letter of the alphabet, along with punctuation marks and numbers, too.

The researchers then trained a deep learning neural network to recognize these letters and to match them back to the coded letters in the secret message. With the right smartphone app and just a short period of time for processing the data, it’s possible to decode a secret message from the document it’s embedded in. Simply aim your device at the text and, as if by magic, the real message can be extracted.

Would such a technique ever be applied in the real world? Almost certainly not in everyday conversations, where the idea of having to send one another false text documents to embed a short hidden message sounds like way too much work. However, that doesn’t mean that this is relegated to being an impractical, albeit impressive, demo. It could certainly have applications in the security field, as well as potentially as an invisible watermark. Heck, you could even use it as a to- secret QR code to link to a web address.

A paper describing the project, titled “FontCode: Embedding Information in Text Documents using Glyph Perturbation,” will be presented later this year at the Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH) 2018 conference.

Someone should probably forward this research on to the James Bond producers before then, though. We can totally imagine Daniel Craig using the “Fontcode” algorithm in the next 007 movie!

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World’s largest battery on a desert solar farm would triple Tesla’s record

California may soon have a record-sized battery east of Palm Springs. The proposed electrical power storage unit would more than triple the capacity of the current largest battery in the world, the 100-megawatt Tesla installation in Australia, according to USA Today.

Recurrent Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian Solar, serves as the parent company’s development arm for solar projects in the United States. Recurrent filed with the federal government for approval to build a 350-megawatt solar power farm east of Palm Springs near the Mule Mountains. The application also requested permission to build a battery capable of storing an equal amount of energy. In all, the proposed Crimson solar project site spans 2,500 acres of public land.

Just because the paperwork is in, however, that doesn’t mean the project is a done deal. Federal approval for such a project can take years. Recurrent Energy has not declared that it has a customer lined up to buy the energy.

California’s current energy production and usage profile show the wisdom of the proposed project. Extensive solar energy harvesting provides more than enough electricity to meet demands during the day, but the story changes when the sun goes down.

Without energy storage facilities or batteries, after sunset, California reverts to natural gas plants to generate electricity. Storage solutions large enough to power large regions haven’t been built fast enough to keep up with the potential of the current solar harvesting installations.

“This is something that we’re going to see a lot more of — solar companies baking in the potential, if not the outright installation, of storage into their systems,” GTM Research energy storage analyst Daniel Finn-Foley told USA Today.

“If you’re looking ahead three, four, five years out,” Finn-Foley continued, “it’s going to be increasingly a story about storage’s ability to enhance large, utility-scale solar.”

Recurrent Energy has already installed four large solar farms in Riverside County. The Crimson project will be in the same county.

Scott Dawson, Recurrent’s director of permitting, outlined the conservation and environmental steps the company took in planning the Crimson solar farm. The plans avoid infringing on the habitat of the species-threatened desert tortoise and disrupt less than five percent of sand dune habitat and woodlands than a previous plan for development.

If a utility customer such as Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas and Electric, or a regional government energy program wants to buy energy from the Crimson project, completion is more likely.

“If someone wants it, we’ll build it,” Dawson said.

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What is WPA3?

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

For years now, the best personal Wi-Fi protection you could enable was known as WPA2 — or the second generation of Wi-Fi Protected Access. It’s a standard network security feature that enables AES encryption through a password.

Now the Wi-Fi Alliance has announced a new security protocol called WPA3, an updated standard that provides more security — and a very timely upgrade in a world that’s increasingly threatened by data hacks and wireless data theft.

How WPA works

WPA uses what’s usually called a “handshake” security check system. This handshake is designed to make sure that all the devices involved in the wireless connection are on the same page and working correctly.

In WPA2, that means a four-way handshake between the two client devices connected and the two wireless access points those devices are using to. The WPA2 system takes a look at all these devices and asks, “All right, does everyone have the same password? Good. Now I’m going to encrypt this data as it’s transferred through, and help you decrypt it at the other end when the transfer is complete. Let’s get started.”

The big advantage to this system is that it prevents many casual types of data theft that could otherwise occur—or at least makes them too difficult to be worth the effort. You see, many Wi-Fi hacking attempts use man-in-the-middle hacks or similar approaches that attempt to intercept wireless data as it is being transferred. WPA2 technology encrypts that data during that stage, making it essentially useless to hackers even if they manage to obtain it.

How WPA3 differs from WPA2

WPA2 worked very well for a long time, but it is starting to get a little outdated by the progress of technology, and the latest efforts of determined hackers trying steal your sweet data. WPA3 adds four new features to the encryption process to keep it current.

Better guest access encryption: You know those guest Wi-Fi networks where you sign in and use the internet at a coffee shop or library? They are really unsafe. WPA3 adds what it calls individualized data encryption, which means that your individual connection to an open wireless network will be encrypted, even if that network is not protected by an overarching password. This is a very big and absolutely necessary change.

Updated handshake: The old WPA2 security has been proven vulnerable to hardware-level attacks and password vulnerabilities (using an easy password is still a dumb move). To help prevent new vulnerabilities from affecting WPA, the updated standard uses a new type of handshake that adds extra protection against password-crackers and similar brute force types of hacking.

Better relations with the Internet of Things: WPA2 was primarily designed to work with traditional mobile devices like phones and laptops-devices with screens you could use to input passwords and control wireless settings. But now we have a vast crop of smart devices that don’t have their own screens for inputs, with apps that aren’t really made to manage wireless connections in detail. To make everything much simpler, WPA3 includes new measures to configure security for devices without screens. We don’t know exactly how this is going to work yet, but it probably involves some sort of pairing the way you pair Bluetooth devices or game controllers.

192-bit security suite: What does this mean? Basically, it’s extra-advanced security that uses CNSA (Commercial National Security Algorithm). That means it meets requirements for high-level government work, defense agencies, and super secret industrial projects. Basically, those organizations will be more free to use Wi-Fi networks with the new standard.

How manufacturers get WPA3

Simon Hill/Digital Trends

Okay, the real question here is, “When can I, the consumer, have access to this new standard?” The answer depends. WPA3 is a very big upgrade for wireless devices, so it’s not like a simple patch can upgrade all your current devices. Manufacturers will need to build devices from the ground up to comply with WPA3, and they have to include all four major changes to qualify for full WPA certification.

Additionally, a single WPA3 device isn’t going to do you much good. You need end user devices (laptops, phones, etc.) and all access points to also use WPA3 to get useful protection. That’s probably not going to happen for at least several years.

However, the first WPA3 devices, like routers, should be making an appearance in 2018, allowing the conversion process to begin. In the beginning, such routers will no doubt support by WPA3 and WPA2 so devices that use either can connect.

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What is WPA3?

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

For years now, the best personal Wi-Fi protection you could enable was known as WPA2 — or the second generation of Wi-Fi Protected Access. It’s a standard network security feature that enables AES encryption through a password.

Now the Wi-Fi Alliance has announced a new security protocol called WPA3, an updated standard that provides more security — and a very timely upgrade in a world that’s increasingly threatened by data hacks and wireless data theft.

How WPA works

WPA uses what’s usually called a “handshake” security check system. This handshake is designed to make sure that all the devices involved in the wireless connection are on the same page and working correctly.

In WPA2, that means a four-way handshake between the two client devices connected and the two wireless access points those devices are using to. The WPA2 system takes a look at all these devices and asks, “All right, does everyone have the same password? Good. Now I’m going to encrypt this data as it’s transferred through, and help you decrypt it at the other end when the transfer is complete. Let’s get started.”

The big advantage to this system is that it prevents many casual types of data theft that could otherwise occur—or at least makes them too difficult to be worth the effort. You see, many Wi-Fi hacking attempts use man-in-the-middle hacks or similar approaches that attempt to intercept wireless data as it is being transferred. WPA2 technology encrypts that data during that stage, making it essentially useless to hackers even if they manage to obtain it.

How WPA3 differs from WPA2

WPA2 worked very well for a long time, but it is starting to get a little outdated by the progress of technology, and the latest efforts of determined hackers trying steal your sweet data. WPA3 adds four new features to the encryption process to keep it current.

Better guest access encryption: You know those guest Wi-Fi networks where you sign in and use the internet at a coffee shop or library? They are really unsafe. WPA3 adds what it calls individualized data encryption, which means that your individual connection to an open wireless network will be encrypted, even if that network is not protected by an overarching password. This is a very big and absolutely necessary change.

Updated handshake: The old WPA2 security has been proven vulnerable to hardware-level attacks and password vulnerabilities (using an easy password is still a dumb move). To help prevent new vulnerabilities from affecting WPA, the updated standard uses a new type of handshake that adds extra protection against password-crackers and similar brute force types of hacking.

Better relations with the Internet of Things: WPA2 was primarily designed to work with traditional mobile devices like phones and laptops-devices with screens you could use to input passwords and control wireless settings. But now we have a vast crop of smart devices that don’t have their own screens for inputs, with apps that aren’t really made to manage wireless connections in detail. To make everything much simpler, WPA3 includes new measures to configure security for devices without screens. We don’t know exactly how this is going to work yet, but it probably involves some sort of pairing the way you pair Bluetooth devices or game controllers.

192-bit security suite: What does this mean? Basically, it’s extra-advanced security that uses CNSA (Commercial National Security Algorithm). That means it meets requirements for high-level government work, defense agencies, and super secret industrial projects. Basically, those organizations will be more free to use Wi-Fi networks with the new standard.

How manufacturers get WPA3

Simon Hill/Digital Trends

Okay, the real question here is, “When can I, the consumer, have access to this new standard?” The answer depends. WPA3 is a very big upgrade for wireless devices, so it’s not like a simple patch can upgrade all your current devices. Manufacturers will need to build devices from the ground up to comply with WPA3, and they have to include all four major changes to qualify for full WPA certification.

Additionally, a single WPA3 device isn’t going to do you much good. You need end user devices (laptops, phones, etc.) and all access points to also use WPA3 to get useful protection. That’s probably not going to happen for at least several years.

However, the first WPA3 devices, like routers, should be making an appearance in 2018, allowing the conversion process to begin. In the beginning, such routers will no doubt support by WPA3 and WPA2 so devices that use either can connect.

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Tiny injectable chip could be used for long-term alcohol monitoring

University of California San Diego

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a tiny ultra-low power biosensor that’s designed to be injected into the body for continuous alcohol monitoring. Unlike the wearable alcohol monitors we’ve previously covered at Digital Trends, which let drinkers know if they’re over the legal alcohol limit on individual nights out, the UC San Diego device is intended to be used for long-term monitoring of patients in substance abuse treatment programs.

The biosensor chip measures only 1 cubic millimeter in size. It can be injected under the skin in interstitial fluid, the fluid which surrounds the body’s cells. It contains three sensors. The first is coated with alcohol oxidase, an enzyme that reacts with alcohol to generate a byproduct which can be detected electrochemically. The second measures background signals, while the third detects pH levels. These last two levels are then canceled out to make the alcohol reading more accurate.

The resulting number can then be read on an associated device such as a smartwatch. Communication between the chip and the smartwatch is carried out using radio signals. These are transmitted by the watch and then reflected back by the chip in a modified form, which reveals how much alcohol has been detected in the bloodstream.

One of the most impressive parts of the wearable device is just how little power it requires in order to work. It needs just 970 nanowatts to function, which is around 1 million times less power than a smartphone uses to make a phone call. This not only preserves battery life for the wearable, but also avoids the device generating too much heat inside the body.

So far, the researchers have tested the chip in a lab experiment in which it was implanted in diluted human serum underneath layers of pig skin. Next, the researchers hope to test the chip in live animals. The group is also working on additional versions of the chip which could monitor the presence of other drugs in the body.

“This is a proof-of-concept platform technology,” Drew Hall, the electrical engineering professor who led the project, said in a statement. “We’ve shown that this chip can work for alcohol, but we envision creating others that can detect different substances of abuse and injecting a customized cocktail of them into a patient to provide long-term, personalized medical monitoring.”

IoT Group revives a power plant to fuel a blockchain applications complex

IoT Group Limited recently signed an agreement with Australia’s Hunter Energy to build a blockchain applications complex (BAC) within a decommissioned coal-fired power station. Hunter Energy is currently working on getting the Hunter Valley-based power station back online. Once completed, IoT Group will obtain power at wholesale cost, which will be more economical for businesses running their blockchain services using the new BAC. 

Blockchains are distributed database systems that typically power cryptocurrency, recording and securing transactions using cryptography. Each transaction has a unique key that is stored inside the next encrypted transaction. Thus, modifying a single transaction would change all previous transaction in the chain. Other applications ideal for blockchains include banking and, based on IOT Group’s announcement, the Internet of Things market.  

“Having access to power at wholesale cost combined with Australia’s sovereign benefits is likely to be attractive to domestic and international blockchain operations,” the company says. That wholesale cost will be provided without “additional charges and costs associated with power transmission, including grid costs, poles and wires, and electricity retailer margins.” 

According to the company, the average household pays around 28 cents per kilowatt-hour. Meanwhile, the Bitcoin network supposedly gulps the same amount of energy consumed by Demark, which is around 32 terawatt-hours each year. That equals to around 16 percent of what Australia consumed in 2017. Currently, Australia’s power is inefficient and expensive, discouraging services from using blockchains locally. 

But with the company’s “pre-grid” pricing, customers will pay eight cents during the day, and five cents at night. Given blockchains consume loads of processing power and the resulting high amounts of energy, the new facility should be an attractive alternative to blockchains accessing the typical power grid. 

IOT Group’s announcement defines wholesale cost as “no more than one-third of current business and consumer power costs.” What is interesting about the news is an emphasis on IoT rather than applications such as cryptocurrency. So far there is no indication that the company will strictly deal with IoT services, or if it will be open to all blockchain-related markets. 

Blockchains provide a trusted environment, a key component necessary for IoT to transmit data on a secure channel. According to a paper provided by Tata Consultancy Services, blockchains could also eliminate IoT gateways and reduce processing overhead. Data exchanges could increase while security could safely scale out as additional IoT devices enter the fold. 

As Hunter Energy gets the power plant up and running, IoT Group is working with a data complex builder to co-locate a data complex to the site. The company also established IoT Blockchain Advisory Service Pty. Ltd. to develop revenue streams and monetize “blockchain opportunities.”

Meanwhile, Hunter Energy is looking to move its power plant away from coal. Once the plant is back online, Hunter Energy will introduce waste wood products into the fuel mix to reduce emission intensity. Eventually, the company will build a grid-scale solar plant seated next to its coal mine lands. 

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Amazon Alexa and Echo speakers in Canada: Everything you need to know!

How to get the most out of Amazon Echo and Alexa in Canada!

Now that the Amazon Echo is firmly supported in Canada, Amazon is prepared to start offering it’s expanded line of Echo products to Canadians.

Whether you’re interested in what the Amazon Echo is capable of, or want the latest information on the Amazon Echo Spot, we got it all covered.

Amazon Echo (2nd Gen.)

The new Echo speaker is shorter and more fashionable with fabric finish options to directly compete with the Google Home for a cozier-looking smart speaker that doesn’t look so obelisk-like. Available for $130, this is the mid-range speaker that maintains the great sound of the original Echo speaker in a compact body. There are touch controls for volume and mute on top, and an Auxiliary Out port around back for connecting to a pair of speakers.

See at Amazon

Amazon Echo Plus

The Amazon Echo Plus looks almost identical to the first-generation Echo speaker, but there are a few significant upgrades included. Most notably is the built-in smart home hub by Zigbee, which lets you easily connect compatible smart home devices to Alexa. The sound is also a bit better on the bigger Echo speaker, and the dial for volume control around the ring light is still a brilliant bit of design.

If you’re just getting into setting Alexa up in your home, I would definitely recommend the Amazon Echo Plus as your starting point. Available for $200, It’s a little more expensive than the standard Echo speaker, but the included Zigbee hub allows for simple setup of smart home devices so you can easily connect and add Philips Hue lights or an Ecobee Smart WiFi Thermostat to Alexa without dealing with additional hubs or apps. The Echo Plus is available in black, silver.

See at Amazon

Amazon Echo Dot

The Echo Dot is the smallest and most affordable Echo speaker. These are best placed in bedrooms, on end tables, or in any parts of your house where you’d like to add Alexa support but don’t require high-end sound. About the size of a hockey puck, the Dot features all the functionality of the other two speakers (excluding the hub built into the Echo Plus), most importantly the AUX-out port for connecting to a more substantial set of speakers. It’s available for $60 and is your best bet for filling out your home with the power of Alexa.

See at Amazon

Amazon Echo Spot

Canadians will soon get a taste of what Amazon can offer in the form of a screened device with the Echo Spot set to launch in Canada.

The Spot delivers everything you’ve come to expect from Amazon Echo speakers — just ask Alexa to read you the news, set an alarm, play an audiobook, or listen to music — with the obvious exceptions being the ability to display some results on the built-in screen. The camera is designed for video conferencing features between Echo Spot users.

You can pre-order to buy your own Echo Spot for $170 before they officailly go on sale in Canada on April 25

See at Amazon

What about older generation Echo speakers?

It’s tough luck for any early adopters who imported a first generation Amazon Echo or Echo Dot speakers, as Amazon has announced that they wont be capable of supporting accounts set to Canadian English and Canadian Skills. In my experience, I was still able to use the first gen Echo speaker just fine but that’s because I set my Alexa app up using Amazon.com. It still works as well as the other two speakers in my house.

If you did set up a first-generation Echo and switched your country to the United States to bypass the block in Canada, you’ll need to go into your account settings and switch that back to Canadian English before setting up your new speakers.

How to set up an account with Alexa

If you’ve got an Amazon account, you’re well on your way to setting up Alexa. The first thing you need to do is download the Alexa app which will guide you through the setup process.

To avoid headaches down the road, be sure to use your Amazon.ca account to set up and not Amazon.com. The majority of Canadian-specific content can only be found in the Amazon.ca Alexa Skills store, such as local news from CBC. Once you’ve logged into the app, it’s time to plug in your speaker for the first time and continue with setup.

Amazon Echo connects to your WiFi network, but first, it needs to connect to your phone. You’ll know your Echo is ready to connect when you see an orange ring light up. You’ll then be asked to choose the WiFi network you want Alexa to connect to and then its a matter of further customizing your Alexa profile within the app.

What are the best skills for Canada?

Here’s another point that early adopters know all too well — finding Skills that are actually worth using on a day-to-day basis is still a chore. Alexa in Canada is still a work in progress as many popular skills and functions are not yet available to Canadians. We’ve rounded up some of the best skills that are available for Canadians and worth checking out.

Canadian news skills:

• CBC News: The World This Hour — The national broadcaster has probably the best news skill for Canadians. Updated hourly, you’ll get a quick look at the national and international stories making headlines. CBC also offers local news reports, but only through Amazon.ca.
• Global News — The Corus Network offers multiple regional skills that deliver local news coverage from its Global News brand, although the news reports seem to be sourced from the local Corus radio affiliate.
• CTV News — Updated throughout the day, this Flash Briefing from CTV News brings you the latest breaking news and headlines from Canada and around the world.
• National Post — Listen to a selection of the latest political commentary pieces from the Full Comment section of the National Post.
• The Globe and Mail — Because you can never have too many news sources, you can add The Globe and Mail to your flash briefing for the latest Canadian national and political news, including the latest from the Canadian Press.
• TSN Flash Briefing — A must-have for any sports fans. Stay up to date on all the most popular sports stories in Canada and around the world.
• TheScore — It’s kind of ironic that the format for TheScore’s skill has changed from giving you the latest sports scores to a quick commentary on one of the biggest stories of the day. Still worth checking out but likely not a replacement for TSN.

Fun and games skills:

• Would You Rather for Family — This classic game that you probably played as a kid is back as an Alexa skill. This family-friendly version is an absurd time-waster and party game.
• The Magic Door — This Alexa-powered interactive game is filled with original stories. There are 11 specific storylines to discover and explore.
• Escape The Room — If you’re a fan of escape rooms, you’re going to love this skill which offers up a series of increasingly difficult virtual escape rooms which you explore using your voice. A highly reviewed Skill worth checking out.
• Bomb Diffuser — Which wire is it? Red or Blue?! This is a quick and fun game that showcases some of the creative ways you can have fun with Alexa.
• Hot Potato — This classic children’s game works pretty great for Alexa. Perfect for a bit of kid-friendly fun for all ages.
• Categories Game — If you enjoy playing Scattegories, you might enjoy this knock-off version for Alexa. Reviews are mixed, and you can expect the game to be occasionally slowed down with bugs, but it’s the best we got for now.
• Party Game — This is a creative game for adult parties that requires a deck of cards. A great game to play with music once the party is already in full swing.

Relaxation skills:

• Rain Sounds — The soothing sounds of rain will help you gently fall asleep, or calm your nerves when you can’t get Alexa to play that trivia skill.
• Guided Meditation: Meditation of the Day — Another nice skill for mindfulness, Guided Meditation delivers daily meditations for relaxation, falling asleep, or starting your day right. Each session is between 5-8 minutes.
• IFTTT — Having Alexa do more for you should let you relax a bit easy IFTTT (If This, Then That) is a third-party skill that lets you automate all sorts of handy little gestures that work with other services and devices you already use. Fun to play around with and simplify your home life.

What products and services work with Alexa?

Music and Media

The number one reason you likely bought an Echo speaker is to use your voice to control the music around your home. Fortunately, that’s Alexa’s greatest strength right out of the box. Alexa in Canada supports Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn, and SiriusXM, as well as playback on Sonos speakers.

Amazon Prime Music was launched in Canada alongside the Echo and that might be a worthwhile service consider if you’re already an Amazon Prime subscriber and aren’t subscribed to another music streaming service. If Amazon Music doesn’t excite you, you’re best off using Spotify Premium. Spotify works seamlessly with Alexa for playing specific artists, albums, or tracks, and also does a great job picking music base on genres, moods, or activities. While it’s frustrating that you cannot request podcasts from Alexa, she will play them just fine as long as you pre-load them up first in the Spotify app.

Incredibly, there is no support for Audible audiobooks for Alexa, but you can still get Alexa to read any compatible Kindle titles.

Video support is not yet available for Alexa in Canada.

Smart Home

Useful Alexa Skills are in short supply for Canadians — fortunately, there’s an ever-growing list of smart home products that should work perfectly with Alexa. With an Amazon Echo Plus, you can start adding Philip Hue and other Zigbee-compatible smart home devices easily from within the Alexa app. Other smart home products might not yet be compatible with the Canadian Amazon Echo hardware, or might require a separate hub and the associated app to set up.

You’re able to control multiple Echo speakers from within the Alexa app, including grouping them together as needed for your home.

Best Smart Lights for Amazon Alexa

Best Smart Switches for Amazon Alexa

Best Smart Plugs for Amazon Alexa

What can’t it do yet?

Unfortunately, the list of what Alexa can’t do is still quite long for Canadians. All those cool features like ordering pizzas using your voice, or getting Alexa to read step-by-step instructions for recipes just aren’t available for those of us up north yet. If you use the Amazon.com account as opposed to Amazon.ca, you’ll miss out on the shipment tracking features (and you’d think that Amazon would be able to bridge that gap between its two sites but nope).

Alexa is here in Canada, yes, but in many ways, it feels like we’re lightyears behind where the U.S. version of Alexa is today. We’re sure you’re more than numb to the familiar experience of playing catch up with our neighbours to the south (and not just from the frostbite). We’ll continue to update this guide as Canadian Alexa learns to do more cool skills that you need to know about.

Update April 11, 2018: Added information on the Amazon Echo Spot.

Amazon Echo

• Tap, Echo or Dot: The ultimate Alexa question
• All about Alexa Skills
• Amazon Echo review
• Echo Dot review
• Echo Spot review
• Top Echo Tips & Tricks
• Amazon Echo vs. Google Home
• Get the latest Alexa news

See at Amazon

Google Lens can identify dog and cat breeds

Now that the Android-first Google Lens feature has finally rolled out to the Photos app on iOS devices, nearly all mobile users can appreciate a recently-added feature: Identifying pet breeds. Also, a new wrinkle added this week will have Google Photos automatically create a book starring your pet. Yes, the might of artificial intelligence has been mustered to determine what kind of dog or cat is in the photo you just took. The only thing left for humans to decide is if they prefer a hardcover or softcover edition.

Last year Google announced that Photos search can comb through your library by particular breed, species (including animals that aren’t cats or dogs) or emoji. Which could be helpful if you want to find the latest pic of your sibling’s pet but don’t want to sift through your entire camera roll. The announcement came with a few reminders of what Google Lens could already do, like videos of your favorite weird animals.

Update:Android Police found notes about these features in Lens last month in the Google Support forums. It also can identify different plants and flowers, as well.

Source: Google Blog

Alexa now recaps NBA and NHL game stats

Voice assistants aren’t great for sports buffs. They can provide the latest scores or tell you when your favorite team will play, but they rarely dive headlong into stats. Amazon, however, thinks it can dig a little deeper. It just gave Alexa the ability to recap NBA and NHL games, including the stats for individual players. You can find out how many points LeBron James scored in his last game (as of this article, 26), or have Alexa summarize the latest Maple Leafs match (they won).

Alexa is now much smarter about playoffs, for that matter. You can ask when the next NBA or NHL playoff game starts, which teams made the cut for a given round and even get playoff-specific statistics, such as the number of goals Sidney Crosby has scored. At least a few of these features have been present to some degree with other voice helpers (Google Assistant and Siri will happily tell you who’s playing next in the NHL playoffs), but the additional depth is definitely appreciated.

There’s no mystery as to why Amazon is expanding these features. Sports have been a staple of voice assistants for years, even if the functionality hasn’t been as robust as it could be. If Amazon can claim even a slight advantage in sports questions, it might convince you to buy an Echo speaker (or another Alexa device) knowing that you’ll get better answers about your favorite team.

Second ‘Destiny 2’ expansion, ‘Warmind,’ lands May 8th

Bungie promised two Destiny 2 expansions in the MMO-like shooter’s first year, and we now know when that second add-on will arrive. Warmind is slated to arrive on May 8th, with more details arriving in a Twitch stream on April 24th. There’s virtually nothing else to share about the DLC, but the title speaks volumes: it’s clearly going to focus on the interplanetary AI systems (such as Rasputin and Charlemagne) humanity counted on for defense in its glory days.

As before, the expansion should be ‘free’ if you ponied up for the Expansion Pass, but will likely be available for a fee if you don’t care for Curse of Osiris.

The company is also hinting at what’s coming to all players beyond Warmind. For one, all the Warmind Crucible maps will be available for matchmaking whether or not you have the add-on. Competitive multiplayer won’t be as fragmented as before (where there was an Osiris-only playlist). You should also see some tweaks in the summer, including PC clan chat, bounties and a new seasonal event. In September, you’ll finally see the return of weapon randomization, records, gear collections. There’s also the promise of “more,” although it’s not certain if Bungie will deliver a large Taken King-style upgrade.

One certainty: a lot is riding on Warmind’s success. As with the original Destiny’s first few months, there’s a sense that D2 needs more content (and, for that matter, tweaks to its underlying gameplay). It’s not in danger of dying out, but it’s also no secret that player interest has dropped given the dearth of new material. Warmind should keep D2 in the public eye and help build hype for the sci-fi title’s long-term roadmap.

Source: Bungie