David Lidsky's Blog, page 2837
December 1, 2015
Inside The Hack Rod, The World's First AI-Designed Car
The brainchild of the Primordial Research Project, this car is based on billions of data points plugged into generative-design software.
When you hear about a plan to build the first car ever designed and engineered by an artificially intelligent system, it sounds compelling. Especially when the men explaining their vision are named—I kid you not—Mickey and Mouse.
Today in Tabs: The Future Is Tabs
The Cosby next door.
James Deen, porn's so-called "boy next door," has been accused of rape and sexual assault by several other actors in the last few days, including Stoya, Tori Lux, and Ashley Fires. Kink.com immediately dropped him as a performer, as did Evil Angel, and The Frisky canceled his advice column. Project Consent has also distanced itself from Deen, who presumably misspoke in an interview for the group when he said that "it's not that hard to not be an asshole." He has also stepped down from the board of the adult performer's union APAC. So, after teaching the world what the internet is for and how to use it, the porn industry now appears to be putting on a clinic in how to listen to women and respond seriously to rape allegations against a high-profile star. Meanwhile, Deen's "boy next door" image remains safe, since the actual boy next door is probably an abuser too.
Snapchat Discover Content Is Now Shareable
Media partners like CNN, BuzzFeed, and Vox will finally be able to share Discover content outside of Snapchat.
Snapchat has until now been something of an island in the social media landscape: Unlike YouTube or Twitter, it wasn't possible to directly link to Snapchat content. This meant that media partners with Discover channels, for example, had to find ways to circumvent the platform's limitations, including using third-party services to share video snippets from Snapchat on Twitter. But as of this week, the popular messaging app is changing all that, with the introduction of direct links to Snapchat content that publishers can post on Facebook or Twitter, Digiday reports.
New Android Chrome Update Could Reduce Data Usage By 70%
An update to Chrome for Android strips images from mobile web pages, reducing loading times and data usage.
Google is rolling out an improvement to the Android version of Chrome that is primarily intended for users in emerging economies, but which will likely been a boon to Android owners worldwide. The newest version of Chrome for Android has an improved data saver mode that removes most images from pages being loaded via a slow connection.
The FBI's Secret Letters To Internet Service Providers... Revealed
After more than a decade, the veil has been lifted on a secret letter sent under gag order to an Internet service provider.
A secret FBI letter sent to an Internet entrepreneur has been unveiled after more than a decade—and its contents reveal a surprising truth.
Turkey's YouTube Ban Violated Freedom Of Expression, European Court Rules
A YouTube ban in Turkey that lasted two years has now been ruled a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Back in 2008, a Turkish court opted to block access to YouTube—a ban that lasted more than two years. The decision was a result of multiple videos on YouTube that the court deemed "insulting to the memory" of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first president of modern-day Turkey. Following the injunction, three Turkish teachers went to court in 2010 to protest it.
The Founder Of Nerve And Babble Launches Heleo, A Platform For Thought Leaders
Rufus Griscom's new site aims to help TED Talk types expand their audiences and monetize their ideas.
Rufus Griscom knows a thing or two about media companies.
November 30, 2015
Apple Music's Sonos Launch Is More Than Another Integration
Apple Music's partnership with Sonos is a notable moment for streaming music.
Starting December 15, Sonos smart speakers will let Apple Music users pipe even more music throughout their homes.
Even Barbie Can Be Hacked
A security researcher accessed personal information stored by Hello Barbie, a Wi-Fi-enabled talking Barbie doll.
Toy manufacturers are learning a hard lesson about Wi-Fi-enabled dolls, action figures, and building sets: They can be hacked pretty easily.
Today in Tabs: [ADD RELEVANT TITLE JOKE HERE]
Seriously, though, donate to Planned Parenthood right now.
The quiet holiday weekend dragged on for nearly one and a half whole days before a terrorist attacked the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, ultimately murdering Garrett Swasey, a police officer and father of two young children, and two civilians: Jennifer Markovsky, a 35-year-old mother of two, and Ke'Arre Stewart, an Army veteran who served in Iraq and was also a father of two. Of course, as Republican strategist Amanda Carpenter told Yahoo News's Hunter Walker, this was "politically uncomfortable" for the Republican presidential candidates, who naturally find it awkward when their womens' health and gun control policies are implemented by freelancers. They all ultimately made the prudent decision not to openly praise the shooter. Ben Carson suggested a peaceful dialogue would be a good way to decide whether mothers, police officers, and military vets should be murdered. Carly Fiorina called the killer "a protester" just like Black Lives Matter. Mike Huckabee called it "domestic terrorism" (hey that's pretty good right–) "…especially for those us in the pro-life movement." (oh.) The killer is already being carefully excised from his community of violent radicals, but Secret Gamer Girl is not going to let that stand. She traced the very clear and open connections between the Planned Parenthood attacker, the men who attacked Black Lives Matter protesters in Minneapolis, Gamergate, and the internet's white supremacist movement. It's long but if you read nothing else about all this chaos, read this, and understand: this is an organized terrorist movement. The other thing you should read, which is much shorter, is Roqayah Chamseddine on why no one needs your sarcastic performative jokes about tragedy: "What many are calling sarcasm is in fact nothing more than an impotent masquerade." You can donate to Planned Parenthood here.
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