Well this was a surprise to me.
Google today launched Chrome 76 for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. The release includes Adobe Flash blocked by default, Incognito mode detection disabled, multiple PWA improvements, and more developer features.
I had no idea people were still using Flash.
Incredibly thorough investigation and research into YouTube channel creation and viewership by Pew Research Centre. Pew Research Center used its own custom mapping technique to assemble a list of popular YouTube channels (those with at least 250,000 subscribers) that existed as of late 2018, then conducted a large-scale analysis of the videos those channels produced in the first week of 2019...
From Bloomberg: Millions of young people are turning their personal Instagram accounts into “business†profiles to learn more about how their posts are performing. The trend has an unintended privacy consequence. And further: “I’ll talk to parents and say, ‘Did you know that if your 13-year-old turns their Instagram account into a business account, more than 1 billion people have access...
Very thorough analysis of the Nacho Analytics demise by Ars Technica (a reminder of what good investigative tech journalism looks like btw). If you’re not familiar with the whole situation, here’s the summary: Chrome Browser extensions (perhaps deceptively) get your permission to track everything you do (recording URLs you visit, content that is on the page etc) and then on-sell that...
Experts question dire current and future Bitcoin energy use projections, most of which are based on a single source, Digiconomist, whose methodology is suspect
I love how thoughtful Bill Gates is – everything he says is considered and informed. His quick interview (via Quartz) is illuminating. Touted as: ‘The robot that takes your job should pay taxes, says Bill Gates‘ at first glance it may sound extreme. But here’s the logic: Quartz: What do you think of a robot tax? This is the idea that in order to generate funds for training...
Think of two key trends and join them together. For example: 1. Artificial Intelligence 2. Internet of Things (IoT) Ta-da: IBM is working with VISA to enable it’s Watson AI technology to make purchases on your behalf. And in particular, by connecting with your devices. Here’s the vision: IBM’s Watson IoT unit is aiming to provide access to as many as 20 billion devices for Visa...
Is machine learning overhyped?
Not yet IMO – from a marketing perspective, it’s just getting started.
Tomasz Tunguz outlines why it’s possible to get fatigued by the constant references to ML being the next wonder of the world (hint: it’s been providing enormous value for decades already).
Useful reading – especially some of the examples he mentions.
For private messages (like really private) I use Telegram.
But I’m thinking of switching to Signal. Here’s why.
BTW here’s their privacy FAQ.
It’s getting closer and closer via BBC Technology’s post commenting on a European Parliament draft report from in May 2016: The report suggests that robots, bots, androids and other manifestations of artificial intelligence are poised to “unleash a new industrial revolution, which is likely to leave no stratum of society untouched”. and This could, if not properly prepared...