Showing 1 - 10 of 169
X remains an influential platform
Life, James Hein, Published on 24/04/2024
» How influential is Twitter/X? Some will remember a while back when Elon Musk gave his opinion on Disney. I won't repeat it here but it was very direct. Up until recently, Disney hadn't posted anything on X but about a week before you read this, they were back with a gold checkmark. These cost about US$10,000 (368,000 baht), which while not expensive for Disney, indicates how they see X as a platform for communicating to all those potentially interested in all things Disney. Elon Musk is still supporting people like Gina Carano in suing Disney for what they did to her and others based allegedly on their political and religious views.
US Supreme Court lets Meta's WhatsApp pursue 'Pegasus' spyware suit
Published on 09/01/2023
» The US Supreme Court on Monday let Meta Platforms Inc's WhatsApp pursue a lawsuit accusing Israel's NSO Group of exploiting a bug in its WhatsApp messaging app to install spy software allowing the surveillance of 1,400 people, including journalists, human rights activists and dissidents.
Apple devices getting beefed-up defence against spyware
AFP, Published on 07/07/2022
» SAN FRANCISCO: Apple on Wednesday unveiled a new way for activists, journalists and other targets of state-sponsored espionage to protect themselves from spyware.
Chinese hackers targeted Russian defence data, report says
New York Times, Published on 06/06/2022
» TEL AVIV: The emails landed March 23 in the inboxes of scientists and engineers at several of Russia’s military research and development institutes, purportedly sent by Russia’s Ministry of Health. They carried a subject line that offered seemingly tantalizing information about a “list of persons under U.S. sanctions for invading Ukraine".
Mind games
Guru, Eric E Surbano, Published on 11/12/2020
» Existential questions like "Who am I really?" and "What's my purpose here in this world?" aren't really questions you'd think would be asked by a Call Of Duty game, yet surprisingly, Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War does address that in a sort of mind-bending way. Oh, and you also get to jump into shoot-em-up game modes with other players that make you realise just how much of a noob you are but hey, that's Call Of Duty for you.
Happy birthday, Windows 95
Life, James Hein, Published on 02/09/2020
» Exactly 25 years ago on Monday, Aug 25, Microsoft launched Windows 95. This was a pivotal time in computer history. At that time in the US, only about 20% of households had a computer and most of them were either techies or nerds. The World Wide Web was just starting to grow and the word processor and spreadsheet were also in their early days. Windows 95 changed the landscape from the earlier 16-bit technology to a 32-bit operating system and added a bunch of new features and extensions. It was the first time we saw the start button, long filenames, right-click context menus and the recycle bin along with Plug and Play technology. For those that had a drive, there was a CD for installing programmes and of course the FreeCell game, which I still play today. The marketing campaign, which featured The Rolling Stones, actually had people buying Windows 95 without even owning a computer.
Protecting the jewels
Life, James Hein, Published on 11/03/2020
» A while back I looked at the LG V20 as a new phone option but I ended up getting the latest Samsung. The next LG top-end model is the V60 ThinQ. Its 5000 mAh battery offers a lot of battery life and will eventually be used by the Samsung S20. It will come with a 17.2cm edge-to-edge screen and unlike the S20 will retain the headphone jack. It also supports a clip on second screen but with a hinge between them. This allows two apps to run side by side, useful in a number of circumstances. It has 8K video recording but not the 10x optical zoom found in the top end S20. Pricing is expected to be less than the S20 range. When you're buying a new phone these days there are a lot of options so find the features and price point that suits you. After that it probably comes down to the colour of the case.
Toyota's 'woven' city, TVs as smartphones: CES highlights
AFP, Published on 07/01/2020
» LAS VEGAS: A smart city from Toyota and a new 5G smartphone from China's TCL were among the announcements Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show preview day.
The internet grows darker
Life, James Hein, Published on 08/05/2019
» Social media has reached danger levels of influence and like anything powerful it can be used for positive or negative purposes. In countries like China you can say as many good things about the government on social media as you like but anything negative typically triggers a rapid response. The US and UK has its own sets of problems, with a tug-of-war between liberals and conservatives over the truth, with each side seeking to banish the other from social media. Self-defined open, inclusive and balanced social media platforms like Twitter are removing accounts on one side of politics in countries before elections, effectively meddling in elections.
Facebook data breach: what's next?
Associated Press, Published on 29/09/2018
» NEW YORK: For users, Facebook's revelation of a data breach that gave attackers access to 50 million accounts raises an important question: What happens next?