Victoria Fox's Blog, page 186

How To Find And Show Hidden Files On Mac

While there’s one very simple and easy way to toggle visibility on and off for hidden files and folders, you do have a couple of other options if you’d prefer. You can do it inside Finder itself:

To immediately reveal all hidden files and folders, press Shift + ⌘ (Command) + . (period) at the same time on the keyboard.If you want to make previously hidden files disappear again, press the same Shift + ⌘ (Command) + . (period) key combination a second time.

Or you can do it via the Terminal app:

Click the Search (magnifying glass) icon in the top-right corner of the screen, then search for “terminal” and either press Return or click the first result.In Terminal, run the script: $ defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles trueThen type in $ killall FinderTo hide everything again, enter the script but replace “true” with “false” before running it in Terminal.

Be aware that most of the hidden files in macOS aren’t made visible by default to prevent accidental deletion of anything vital to the system. So unless everyone who uses your Mac knows what to look out for, it might be best to set everything back to being hidden once you’ve finished what you initially set out to do.

SOURCE

Why This Massive LG Smart TV Costs $35,000

The wireless component is pretty simple: The Signature OLED M comes with the “Zero Connect Box,” which accepts the HDMI, USB, ethernet, and antenna inputs for the TV so it can transmit the data wirelessly to the panel. In the announcement, the manufacturer boasts that “LG’s proprietary wireless AV transmission solution is able to transmit large amounts of data at up to three times the speed of the existing Wi-Fi 6E standard.”

FlatPanelsHD’s coverage of the announcement mentions that, aside from the wireless features, this is the same TV as the LG G3 OLED series that was already available. To get an idea of what kind of premium the Zero Connect Box costs, according to LG’s website, the 77-inch G3 model retails at $4,499.99, or $3,100 less than the OLED M, while the 83-inch G3 goes for $6,299.99, or $3,900 less than the wireless version. There’s no 97-inch G3 model, but the 97-inch G2 retails at $24,999.99, over $10,000 less than the Signature OLED M.

SOURCE

The 5 Best Audio Recording Apps For Android Phones

There’s one niche that’s harder to fill than one might expect: an Android alternative to Audacity, the legendary open-source digital audio workstation that’s commonly used by podcasters. Since there’s no Android port of Audacity, it becomes imperative to find an app that at least approximates its basic functionality: recording and editing audio with a visible waveform while having a library of effects to apply to recordings. Audacity is capable of a lot more than that, but for the purposes of this exercise, those are the most commonly used features.

Of the Android apps that fit the bill, Lexis Audio Editor feels like the best choice, as it most closely resembles using Audacity on your computer. The learning curve is minimal, and the available effects include the most basic and popular ones that Audacity users are familiar with, like fading in/out, normalization, pitch/tempo/speed adjustments, noise reduction, dynamic range compression, and echo/reverb. For a lot of people, that’s going to be more than enough. Lexis’ selection of output formats is pretty robust out of the box, too, defaulting to M4A/AAC while also including options for WMA, MP3, WAV, and FLAC.

No, it’s not Audacity. But as long as there’s no Android version of Audacity, everyone will have to make do with something similar enough to get the job done, which Lexis Audio Editor does.

SOURCE

FDA approves first oral postpartum depression pill

Biogen and Sage Therapeutics’ collaboration to develop Zurzuvae has proved fruitful. The FDA approved the oral pill specifically for the treatment of postpartum depression (PPD), making it the first of its kind in a class of antidepressants intended specifically for new mothers. According to research by the CDC, one in eight women will experience symptoms of postpartum depression. Symptoms of PPD can occur quite intensely after birth and can be dangerous because it can interfere with a new mother’s ability to function. The long-awaited approval comes thanks to two randomized, double-blind studies that proved the efficacy of the drug.

A key hallmark of Zurzuvae is that the medication is expected to work within just a few days and is meant to be taken for up to two weeks. Before this once-daily oral pilll, the most common treatment plan for PPD required an IV injection. That meant administration by a healthcare provider in a hospital or healthcare facility was necessary. With this approval, Zurzuvae will be able to expand access and reach to more women on their way out of hospitals.

The catch is the drug can impact a patient’s ability to drive and cause extreme drowsiness. Additionally, the warning label for the drug highlights that, like most antidepressants, the drug can cause an increased risk for suicidal ideation. To top it off, Zurzuvae may also cause fetal harm. Patients on the drug should use contraception while taking the pill and for one week after taking Zurzuvae.

SOURCE

This Strange PlayStation 2 Katana Controller Is Worth A Ton Of Money Today

The Katana may have been expensive brand new, but finding one today that’s in good, working condition will cost you even more than it retailed for, and that’s with inflation accounted for. Going by what has sold on eBay recently, the only listing that went below the inflation-adjusted retail price was one where the item had visible damage and sticky buttons while also missing the wireless receiver needed to actually use the controller.

For complete, working, boxed examples of the controller, recent sales have ranged from $299 to $425. Even then, despite being unused, the more expensive one isn’t perfect, with the handle of the Katana becoming “tacky to the touch” for reasons beyond the seller’s understanding.

What’s listed on eBay as of this writing is not priced to move like those recent sales (all of which sold at the “Buy It Now” price) or those tracked on PriceCharting.com were, though. The six available have “Buy It Now” prices ranging from $750 to $1,242 (for a listing of two for $2,484), but half of them have “Best Offer” turned on. As is common with collectibles on eBay, the sellers appear to be trying to pump up the price and capitalize on buyers who haven’t looked up the going rate.

The listings also make it clear how limited the market for these is, though, as half of them have the same number of people “watching” the auction. But if you want to try and haggle a deal, there’s just enough competition to make it interesting.

SOURCE

Ahsoka Crew Say The Animated Star Wars Series Aren’t Mandatory Viewing

Indeed, the years’ worth of backstory and mythology built into “Ahsoka” can be seen as a blessing and a curse. While it is tempting to consider the show a direct sequel to “Rebels” — particularly since its trailers have specifically recreated the final scene in the “Rebels” series finale — it is also part of a collection of live-action “Star Wars” shows that have been mostly standalone and required little previous knowledge of the franchise.

The worst-case scenario for “Ahsoka” would involve the show either going full nostalgia and alienating newcomers, or completely ignoring “Rebels” and “Clone Wars,” alienating longtime fans. That last bit seems unfortunately probable given the way “The Mandalorian” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” have already seemingly erased an integral part of “Clone Wars” from existence — Duchess Satine Kryze.

The best-case scenario, then, would be something akin to “The Lord of the Rings.” That story can be enjoyed knowing absolutely nothing else about hobbits or Middle-earth. And yet, the importance of the ring, the story of Sauron beyond being just some cartoon villain, and the characters of Galadriel, Elrond, Glorfindel, and the importance of Aragorn’s lineage only really come to light in the larger Legendarium, particularly “The Silmarillion.” We see this in the way “The Rings of Power” has used scope and scale to contextualize the War of the Ring as just the final chapter in a story that started long, long before. 

If done right, “Ahsoka” can do something similar, telling a standalone story that can be enjoyed on its own merits, while still reaping what the animated “Star Wars” projects have sowed over the past 15 years.

“Ahsoka” begins streaming August 23, 2023, on Disney+.

SOURCE

Startups see just 1% of DoD spending, says the venture firm backed by billionaire Steve Cohen; it’s betting that’s about to change

Dan Gwak has had a more varied life than many investors. He grew up in Jakarta, the son of Korean parents who ran a shipping business. After high school, he headed to Cornell in the U.S., and became an associate at The Carlyle Group.

Everything was moving up and to the right, so to speak. Then, like a gut punch, the financial recession hit in 2008.

Gwak was among many who suddenly found themselves on uneven footing and evaluating their next steps. Unlike most of his young investing banking peers, Gwak quickly decided to join the U.S. Marine Corps as a machine gunner. It seemed like a natural decision, given that in Korea, where military service is compulsory for men between ages 18 and 35, both Gwak’s father and brother had served. It was also Gwak’s way of “becoming American,” he says.

While he wasn’t expecting his service to end four years later in Afghanistan – he was wounded and sent home – Gwak again didn’t waste much time deliberating about his next moves. He applied and was accepted to Harvard Business School, and nearly since that time, he has been investing at the intersection of national security and technology. Out of school, he joined In-Q-Tel, which is the venture arm of the CIA. In 2017, when the billionaire hedge fund manager “Stevie” Cohen decided to build out a venture practice — Point72 Ventures — he poached Gwak, and Gwak has remained active since, including leading a 50-person team that has invested more than $1 billion into roughly 130 companies on Cohen’s behalf.

The deals range across four key areas: deep tech, fintech, enterprise and defense tech. But in a lengthy conversation with Gwak earlier today, he talked the longest about defense tech as he’s passionate about it and because the way he sees it, Washington is focused more than ever on the global balance of power — and looking for any edge it can find. Below are excerpts from that part of our chat, edited lightly for length and clarity. You can listen to the entire conversation here.

TechCrunch: You have these four areas on which you’re focused, but fintech has cooled off after several frothy years, defense tech now seems top of mind for investors. Is that true inside Point72?

Dan Gwak: Absolutely. If you rewind the clock, fintech was an area that was very hot and we were very active in deploying a lot of capital. Today, the area that’s really come up is defense tech. It’s not just that the market in general has corrected, but rather, I think defense tech, specifically as an opportunity, has really [gained traction] among other venture investors, as well as founders [along with a growing] awareness of the importance of defense tech to the government.

Given your experience over the years, working for and selling to the government, does the sales process move any more quickly than historically? The longstanding knock, of course, is that it’s too bureaucratic and there’s too much red tape to get past.

Even five years ago, I would have told you that defense tech investing the way that we think about it – which is investing in companies whose primary customer is going to be the Department of Defense – is a bad idea for exactly the reason that you describe. But that has changed for a couple of big reasons. First of all, the government is generally inefficient at buying things until something comes along that has the potential to shift the global superpower balance, and that’s what you’re seeing today. If you look at the last time that happened, that was probably pursuing the atom bomb and the Manhattan Project. When you look at things like AI and all the ways it applies – whether that’s autonomy or computer vision or natural language processing – these are all things that absolutely can shift the global superpower balance, and the government sees that now. And when the government sees that, then it becomes much, much better at buying things.

It seems like a portfolio company of yours, Shield AI, falls into this category. [Editor’s note: Shield AI develops AI-powered fighter pilots and drones that it sells to the U.S. Air Force and U.S Army.]

Autonomous drone swarms do have the ability to shift the global superpower balance, whoever gets that right and can release a drone swarm of thousands. That is an approach [against which there are] just not good defenses against today, even if you own the largest aircraft carrier fleet in the universe. [And because a company like Shield AI can help in] the future preparedness of America, it can, as a result, get a lot of the funding that comes out of the government. It used to be because of the slower sales cycles and so forth, you had to kind of count on the prize being larger but taking longer to get to. [Today] we’re finally entering a time where, as long as you align with something that really, really matters to the government and you can connect the dots effectively, you can grow that business as quickly as as any commercial business,

What has Ukraine meant for its business?

Ukraine’s impact on defense tech has been a very catalyzing one. Everyone understood even before Ukraine that drone swarms and the effective use of attritable technologies and things like that could have a very big impact. Ukraine just serves to highlight that In real life. When you look at what’s going on there, that effective use of drones has had a massive impact in that battlefield.

So-called slaughterbots are autonomous drones that are programmed to kill people without any human intervention. How does a company like Shield AI deal with potential customers that might misuse its technology?

I don’t want to speak on the company’s behalf on that topic because it is a conversation that the company should have with its customers, and I’m not necessarily in those conversations. However, I think the overall topic —  the danger posed by autonomy when it comes to taking human beings out of that decision to attack — is a very interesting one. To my mind, it’s all about system design. Any weapon in the world that has a kinetic effect can be very, very dangerous — to the enemy, to ourselves, and to noncombatants who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.That’s why when you look at all these kinetic systems, there’s always good system design around the decision to take an action, and a human being is usually in the loop. When it comes to this new wave of technology, it’s not like we’re throwing that concept of safety out the window. Good, sound, system design, as informed by the risks that we are willing to  subject ourselves to, is always going to be an important part of the equation.

The U.S. government is a big customer that can demand that things are tailored for its purposes. Does it preclude these companies from selling to other governments? How does that work? Do they have to get buy in from Washington?

It depends on what other country we’re talking about [laughs]. To contextualize with numbers, though, the overall spending of the United States and all of its allies on defense is $1.6 trillion. That is a gigantic market. It is an order of magnitude larger than the commercial SaaS market. Of that 1.6 trillion, fully 50% of it is just the U.S. So when you see defense tech companies so focused on the U.S. defense market, there’s a good sound reason for that. That [also] means that if that largest part of the market is asking you not to interact with nations that might be adversarial to the United States, you’re going to respect that.

Are the investors interested in these deals changing at all? I know who some of the players are — you, In-Q-Tel, Lux. . . .

Lux is certainly one that’s been investing where deep tech meets defense tech for a while. [There]’s also Founders Fund, 8VC, a16z as part of their American dynamism effort. There are a core group of half a dozen or so that have been focused on defense tech for for a while. Now I’m seeing additional investors, tier one venture investors, who were not necessarily historically interested in defense tech, start to be a lot more interested. That that’s a good thing. The opportunity is just so large. If you think about it, the DoD has an $800 billion budget and only 1% of that today goes to startups.

That’s an incredible stat. I guess I have the headline to this story now. Who gets the rest? Lockheed Martin?

It’s largely the defense primes today, which serve an important purpose. But the truly transformational technologies that the DOD needs to be able to harness in the next 10 years, those are going to come from startups.

SOURCE

Fisker unveils the Alaska electric pickup and sub-$30,000 Pear EV

At its Product Vision event in California, Fisker unveiled no less than three EVs and also announced pricing and more details of the previously teased Ronin. The new models include the Alaska electric pickup, Pear EV priced at $29,900 before incentives and the Force E, a rugged off-road version of the Ocean. 

First on the docket, however, is the Ronin — a four-door supercar EV that the company teased last month. Fisker previously showed only a brief glimpse of it, promising a 600 mile range and sub-$200,000 price tag. Now, the company has unveiled it in full on the outside only (no interior shots), but CEO Henrik Fisker is still being guarded about the technology — and the price has roared way past its previous estimate.

Mike Blake / reuters

Fisker said it’ll hit 60 MPH in under 2.0 seconds thanks to three electric motors delivering 1,000 horsepower via an all-wheel drive setup. As for the battery back, “we are looking to integrate the cells into the structure of the body and that will give us our goal of getting to 600 miles of range,” Fisker said in a not-exactly-definitive statement. The company is giving itself some time to get there, though, citing a delivery window near the end of 2025. 

The price, though, is a shocker. Fisker didn’t mention it at the event, but a new reservation page says the Ronin will start at “$385,000 before any incentives,” or nearly double what the company originally mentioned. Luckily, interested parties will only need to put down a $2,000 deposit which is just 0.5 percent of the purchase price. 

Mike Blake / reuters

The most interesting vehicle is the Alaska electric pickup. It’s based on the Ocean (and built on the same platform), but has a pickup truck bed and midgate that lowers to extend the bed into the cabin — allowing it to haul longer cargo than the shortish bed would suggest. That’s much like Chevy’s new Silverado EV, which it strikingly resembles. 

The Alaska will start at $45,400 (it will be US-built and qualify for EV incentives) with a range of around 230 miles between charges, less than the Ocean. However, the company is promising a more expensive model that can go up to 340 miles between charges. Because it’s based around the Ocean which is now in production, the company expects it to go on sale as early as December 2024 — sooner than the Pear or Ronin. Henrik Fisker is much better at designing vehicles than estimating prices and production schedules, though, so take all those numbers and dates with a large grain of salt. 

Mike Blake / reuters

The Pear electric crossover will be Fisker’s budget offering, coming in at under $30,000 with all-wheel drive, dual motors and range of about 300 miles. While just a bit smaller than the Ocean, it will be built on a new platform that allows a 35 percent reduction in parts and thus a lower price. It will come in five- or six-seat layouts (the latter via a front bench seat), and offers what looks like an attractive but basic interior for the price.

Other touches include a “Houdini Trunk” lift gate designed to simplify cargo loading, along with a frunk (or “froot” in Fisker’s nomenclature). It also offers LED lighting and a “lounge mode” that lets you move the seats around to maximize comfort. Fisker plans to build the Pear at Foxconn’s Lordstown plant so it’s eligible for tax incentives, with production estimated around mid-2025. Again, treat those price and production estimates skeptically. 

Mike Blake / reuters

Finally, Fisker unveiled the Force E, an offroad/adventure version of the Ocean. It comes with 33-inch off-road tires and 21-inch aluminum wheels, along with a large roof rack and wide fenders. It offers more ground clearance, front, rear and underbody skid plates, and improved offroad handling. The package is available to new buyers, but existing Ocean owners can also upgrade their vehicles, It’s set to arrive in Q1 2024, with pricing to be announced around then. 

SOURCE

Will Smith Reveals How Steven Spielberg Convinced Him to Star in ‘Men in Black’: “Sent a Helicopter for Me”

Will Smith is revealing how Steven Spielberg convinced him to take on a lead role in Men in Black.

During the latest episode of Kevin Hart’s Hart to Heart show, the actor said he was close to turning down several roles throughout his career if it wasn’t for James Lassiter, his former manager and longtime business partner.

Smith said Lassiter was “the arbiter of taste” and is actually the reason he even signed on to some of his most notable projects and roles. “In the heyday, the 10 movies I made at the top of my career, JL was choosing the films,” he said. “He just, he just had an eye, I didn’t want to make Pursuit of Happyness. I didn’t want to make Ali. … And JL picked Men in Black. I kind of understood Men in Black a little bit but I didn’t want to make Men in Black.”

Related Stories

The actor explained that the reason he was initially against accepting the role for the 1997 movie was because he had just finished filming 1996’s Independence Day and “didn’t want to make two alien movies back to back.”

But Spielberg, who served as executive producer on Men in Black, wasn’t going to take no for an answer, so he personally contacted Smith to try and convince him to do the film.

“Steven Spielberg sent a helicopter for me,” Smith recalled. “I was in New York. To talk to me. … It landed at his house. And he had me at hello. … And it was the first time I ever had lemonade with carbonated water. You can’t say no to that.”

“He said the coldest shit,” the actor quipped. “He said, ‘Tell me, tell me why you don’t want to make my movie. And he was the producer. … And he put the ellipsis at the end, it was the dot, dot, dot. … If he had continued, he would have said, ‘Joker, you know I made Jaws, right? You know I made E.T.’”

Smith went on to star as Agent J in three Men in Black films.

Later during his conversation with Hart, the Oscar-winning actor also opened up about 2022’s Emancipation and how he felt like he went too far for the role. Smith played Peter in the film that was based on the real-life story of a runaway slave who escaped plantation owners that nearly killed him. Peter was also the subject of the 1863 photograph called “Whipped Peter.”

Smith said he became too immersed in the role while filming and lost himself throughout the process.

“Just bringing it up, I start to get teary,” he said. “I wanted to feel the degradation of slavery and I just went too far in. It’s like, the level of human brutality, what we will do to each other.”

The actor even recalled a terrifying moment on set when he started to panic because crew members couldn’t remove chains that were around his neck for a scene.

“I was like, ‘I want the real weight, put the real weight of them. I want the real chains,’” Smith explained. “So they got old chains and they put it on my neck and they were fitting it for size and I’m standing there and the prop master went to put the key in and the key didn’t work. And I was like, ‘Oh no. Will, relax.’ And I’m standing there and they’re running around and they couldn’t get me out of it. I’m standing there in those chains, right on that hyperventilating edge.”

He was eventually freed, but Smith noted that although playing the character took a big toll on him personally, he wouldn’t change the experience he had.

“I wouldn’t give it back,” he added. “It was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had as an actor. Peter introduced me to God. My faith got solid after working on that movie.”

SOURCE

Dear Abby: My granddaughter and her boyfriend bully me when my son isn’t home

DEAR ABBY: A year ago, my landlord asked me to move out of an apartment that I loved. I could no longer afford the rent, so I asked my son if I could live with him. He agreed without hesitation. Two weeks later, I packed up and moved. 

At first, it was comfortable, but things started to change when I had emergency open-heart surgery. My granddaughter announced that she was moving in as well. Then here she comes with her boyfriend, expecting him to live there, too. My son refused at first but changed his mind. That’s when the constant screaming started. 

Her boyfriend has a bad attitude. He bullies me when nobody is at home. Neither one works. They live on my son’s income. I’m running low on patience and strength. I’m 77. All I would like is to get better and have some peace and quiet. What do I do? Can you advise me? — TRAPPED IN FLORIDA

DEAR TRAPPED: Because the stress is becoming too much for you, explain to your son what is going on when he is absent. Then start looking for an alternative living situation you will be able to manage within your budget. If it means renting a room somewhere rather than an apartment, be prepared to do it. Your health must come first.

DEAR ABBY: Five months ago, my relationship of 10 years ended. I discovered my boyfriend had been unfaithful on more than one occasion. He didn’t want to fix the relationship, and I could no longer take more of his mental and emotional abuse. 

My biggest hurdle is our children, who are 3 and 6. I have done everything for them since they were born. My ex and I verbally agreed on a 50-50 schedule, so I have gone from being with them every day to half that time, and I hate it. I miss them terribly when they aren’t with me. My anxiety and worry have skyrocketed. 

I want to do what’s best for my kids, and I struggle daily with worrying if what I am doing is best. Is it best for them to be with their dad half the time when he hasn’t been around much these past two years? I have talked to a lawyer, who said it’s up to me since we were never married. Friends and family have told me to give Dad only every other weekend, but is that truly what’s best for them? 

I don’t know what to do and feel so lost. It would be easier for me if their dad had only every other weekend. However, this decision isn’t about me. How do I know if what I’m doing is best for my kids? — MOMMY OF TWO IN MINNESOTA

DEAR MOMMY: The answer to your question depends on how involved with the children their father is when they are with him. Does he talk to them, read to them, make sure they are clean, dressed, properly fed and getting enough exercise? Is his home clean and smoke-free? If the answer to any of these questions is no, the children need to be with the parent who will give them not only the best of care, but love them and let them know it every day. 

To his credit, your ex appears to be stepping up to the plate. And you are right — this isn’t just about you and your own needs. I applaud you for recognizing it.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at http://www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

SOURCE