Google Lays Off Hundreds Working on Its Voice-Activated Assistant
Semafor | Jan 10, 2024 | Louise MatsakisGoogle is laying off hundreds of people working on its voice-activated Google Assistant software and eliminating a similar number of roles on its knowledge and information product teams, a Google spokesperson confirmed to Semafor on Wednesday.
Google told Semafor the restructuring would help improve Google Assistant as it explores integrating newer artificial intelligence technology into its products. The company announced in October that it was using its generative AI chatbot Bard to build a new version of Google Assistant that “extends beyond voice, understands and adapts to you and handles personal tasks in new ways.”
Google has been making periodic job cuts over the past year, including in its recruiting and news divisions, but it has not conducted company-wide layoffs since last January, when it eliminated approximately 12,000 roles.
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Feed For Thought
Former ADT Technician Pleads Guilty To Hacking Home Security Cams In North Texas, Faces Up To 5 Years In Prison
CBS Dallas/Fort Worth | January 21, 2021 | StaffDALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – A home security technician has pleaded guilty to repeatedly hacking into customers’ video feeds, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Prerak Shah.
“Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Prerak Shah” [sic]
Yup. I just checked the website again, and that’s how it reads.
Telesforo Aviles, . . .
Heh! Is “sforo” or “foro” code for something?
. . . a 35-year-old former ADT employee, pleaded guilty to computer fraud on Thursday, Jan. 21, in federal court.
“This defendant, entrusted with safeguarding customers’ homes, instead intruded on their most intimate moments,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah. “We are glad to hold him accountable for this disgusting betrayal of trust.”
“The defendant used his position of employment to illegally breach the privacy of numerous people. The FBI works with our law enforcement partners to thoroughly investigate all cyber intrusions and hold criminals accountable for their actions,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno.
“Cyber intrusions do not only affect businesses, but also members of the public. We encourage everyone to practice cyber hygiene . . .
Well, I can think of one approach, but I don’t think ADT would like it much.
. . . with all their connected devices by reviewing authorized users and routinely changing passwords.”
According to plea papers, Aviles admits that contrary to company policy, . . .
Cue George Costanza asking “Was that wrong?”
. . . he routinely added his personal email address to customers’ “ADT Pulse” accounts, giving himself real-time access to the video feeds from their homes.
In some instances, he claimed he needed to add himself temporarily in order to “test” the system; in other instances, he added himself without their knowledge.
Much like IMAO does . . . oh! Never mind.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Aviles took note of which homes had attractive women, then repeatedly logged into these customers’ accounts in order to view their footage for sexual gratification, he admits.
Plea papers indicate he watched numerous videos of naked women and couples engaging in sexual activity inside their homes.
Over a four and a half year period, Aviles secretly accessed roughly 200 customer accounts more than 9,600 times without their consent, he admits.
Aviles, who waived indictment and was charged via an information, now faces up to five years in federal prison.
Fortunately, inmates don’t have access to the internet in prison. Do they?
Welcome to IMAO! We’re Glad You Clicked On Us…
Mwahahaha!
“Spy Pixels in Emails Have Become Endemic“
BBC | 16 February 2021 | Leo KelionThe use of “invisible” tracking tech in emails is now “endemic,”
… and you thought a pandemic was pretty bad.
according to a messaging service that analysed its traffic at the BBC’s request.
Hey‘s review indicated that two-thirds of emails sent to its users’ personal accounts contained a “spy pixel,” even after excluding for spam.
I like the name of the company.
They should take part in a good Abbot-and-Costello routine.
Then they should partner with “Cut It Out!”
Its makers said that many of the largest brands used email pixels, with the exception of the “big tech” firms.
Oh, no; not them. Never them. They’ve got subtler means.
Defenders of the trackers . . .
“Hi, good-looking — what do you do for a living?”
“I defend hidden email trackers. I’m one of their defenders!”
. . . say they are a commonplace marketing tactic.
And several of the companies involved noted their use of such tech was mentioned within their wider privacy policies.
. . . about seventeen furlongs down in their End User Agreements.
Emails pixels can be used to log:
… if and when an email is opened
… how many times it is opened
… what device or devices are involved
… the user’s rough physical location, deduced from their internet protocol (IP) address
Now, how did they know my physical location is rough?
Tracking pixels are typically a .GIF or .PNG file that is as small as 1×1 pixels, which is inserted into the header, footer or body of an email.
Since they often show the colour . . .
“Colour.” Heh-heh-heh.
. . . of the content below, they can be impossible to spot with the naked eye even if you know where to look.
Recipients do not need to click on a link or do anything to activate them beyond open an email they are embedded in.
British Airways, TalkTalk, Vodafone, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, HSBC, Marks & Spencer, Asos and Unilever are among UK brands Hey detected to be using them.
Tracking pixels are a standard feature of automated email services used by large and small businesses, and in many cases the facility is difficult to turn off.
(Customers, by contrast, are the opposite.)
Clients can use them to track how many emails in a specific campaign are opened in aggregate, as well as to automatically stop sending messages to customers who ignore them.
Adapt this artificial intelligence to the male of the species, and you will have made a real contribution.
The BBC asked some of the companies identified by Hey for their own response.
British Airways said: “We take customer data extremely seriously, and use a cross-industry standard approach that allows us to understand how effective our customer communications are.”
TalkTalk said: “As is common across our industry and others, we track the performance of different types of communications to understand what our customers prefer. We do not share this data externally.”
IMAO’s response to questions was to release an emu.
Nightmare Fuel
Lost Passwords Lock Millionaires Out of Their Bitcoin Fortunes
The New York Times | 12 Jan 2021 | Nathaniel PopperBitcoin owners are getting rich because the cryptocurrency has soared. But what happens when you can’t access that wealth because you forgot the password to your digital wallet?
Stefan Thomas, a German-born programmer living in San Francisco, has two guesses left to figure out a password that is worth, as of this week, about $220 million.
The password will let him unlock a small hard drive, known as an IronKey, which contains the private keys to a digital wallet that holds 7,002 Bitcoin.
While the price of Bitcoin dropped sharply on Monday, it is still up more than 50 percent from just a month ago when it passed its previous all-time high around $20,000.
The problem is that Mr. Thomas years ago lost the paper where he wrote down the password for his IronKey, which gives users 10 guesses before it seizes up and encrypts its contents forever. He has since tried eight of his most commonly used password formulations — to no avail.
“I would just lay in bed and think about it,” Mr. Thomas said. “Then I would go to the computer with some new strategy, and it wouldn’t work, and I would be desperate again.”
He’s currently at Yosemite Sam level of frustration. If he blows his next two guesses, he’ll go full Tasmanian Devil.
Wonder if his original password had a typo in it.
Well, That’s Nice
Facebook changing ‘race-blind’ hate speech policy
techxplore | 12/03/2020Facebook on Thursday said it is revising its systems to prioritize blocking slurs against {b}lack people, gays and other groups historically targeted by hateful vitriol, no longer automatically filtering out barbs aimed broadly at whites, men, or Americans.
The change in Facebook’s algorithm is a shift from the social network’s ethnicity and gender-neutral system that removed anti-white comments and comments such as “Men are dumb” or “Americans are stupid.”
“We know that hate speech targeted towards underrepresented groups can be the most harmful, which is why we have focused our technology on finding the hate speech that users and experts tell us is the most serious,” said Facebook spokeswoman Sally Aldous.
…
The reform is at an early stage and aims to target speech deemed “the worst of the worst,” including slurs against {b}lack people, Muslims, people of more than one race, the LGBTQ community and Jews, according to a report in the Washington Post.
And ivory . . .
Facebook to Rank Anti-Black Hate Speech Over Anti-White Comments
New York Post | December 4, 2020 | Ebony BowdenFacebook has updated its hate speech algorithm, reversing years of neutrality to prioritize anti-black comments while making anti-white slurs the lowest priority.
The tech giant’s new system for detecting hate speech, known internally as the WoW Project, will automatically delete hateful language directed at the LGBTQ community, Jews, Muslims and African Americans — which has been dubbed by Facebook engineers as the “worst of the worst,” the Washington Post reported.
The company will now begin scoring hate speech and offensive posts, and remarks about “men,” “whites” and “Americans” will be marked “low sensitivity,” the report said.
Come and Listen To My Story ‘Bout an App Named “Shhh!”
Tales From DeCrypt
Paranoid
Is what you’re called
If cellphone cells
Have you appalled :
Strangely,
If a stranger called
You weren’t
Paranoid at all.
Security Gap Allows Eavesdropping on Mobile Phone Calls
Ruhr-Universitaet-Bochum via Phys.org / August 12, 2020Calls via the LTE mobile network, also known as 4G, are encrypted and should therefore be tap-proof. However, researchers from the Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security (HGI) at Ruhr-Universität Bochum have shown that this is not always the case.
They were able to decrypt the contents of telephone calls if they were in the same radio cell as their target, whose mobile phone they then called immediately following the call they wanted to intercept. They exploit a flaw that some manufacturers had made in implementing the base stations.
…
Reusing keys results in security gap
The vulnerability affects Voice over LTE, the telephone standard used for almost all mobile phone calls if they are not made via special messenger services. When two people call each other, a key is generated to encrypt the conversation.
“The problem was that the same key was also reused for other calls,” says David Rupprecht. Accordingly, if an attacker called one of the two people shortly after their conversation and recorded the encrypted traffic from the same cell, he or she would get the same key that secured the previous conversation.
“The attacker has to engage the victim in a conversation,” explains David Rupprecht. “The longer the attacker talked to the victim, the more content of the previous conversation he or she was able to decrypt.” For example, if attacker and victim spoke for five minutes, the attacker could later decode five minutes of the previous conversation.
…
By now, the manufacturers and mobile phone providers have updated the software of the base stations to fix the problem….
Still, it can’t be ruled out that there are radio cells somewhere in the world where the vulnerability occurs.
Just Another Thing To Worry About
Reports: Intel Chips Have New Security Flaws
Peter Grad , Tech Xplore / June 11, 2020
A pair of new security threats to Intel-based computer systems have been revealed. The beleaguered semiconductor chip manufacturer has faced a seemingly endless series of vulnerabilities over the past two years.
Although no known attacks have occurred, two teams of researchers have confirmed vulnerabilities in what is supposed to be the safest neighborhood within Intel processor architecture.
Cord Cutting Time
I’ve taken on the task of helping my mother cut her Comcast bill way back. Seems she realized she hardly ever watched anything on cable. In fact, the only stuff she watches on cable are the local channels that she would be able to pick up out of Savannah if she had a big enough antenna. Kinda like she used to do back in the 50s, 60s, and 70s (my parents got cable in the very early 80s). Anyway, she wants to cut back on that $194/month she pays Comcast.
So, I’m studying and figuring out how best to make it all happen. I think we got it figured out. As long as it’s cheaper (it will be, by far) and she can still watch People’s Court, everything will be fine.
We’ve ordered a cable modem and an Ooma telephone device to allow the cutting back of Internet, TV, and telephone. She currently subscribes to Hulu (she loves that), and owns a TiVo (which she also loves, and is how she currently records People’s Court). She already has Google WiFi, so the wireless network won’t change.
It should be an easy enough change to make. And that extra $115/month in her pocketbook ought to keep her happy for a bit.
Android
A lot of you use iPhones. A lot of you use Android phones. And some of you use more traditional phones. That’s because no one thing is right for us all when it comes to a phone or mobile device.
I’m gonna focus just a minute on the Android users out there. Today is the anniversary of the announcement of the Android operating system. The first Android phone didn’t come out until nearly a later, but November 5, 2007 is when Android was announced.
How many of you use and like Android? And which version? I’ve not used Android 10; the latest I’ve used is 9 (Pie). And if you’ve used both Android and iOS, which is your preference?
There’s nothing like kicking the day off with a good old fashioned tech fight, is there?
I’d Miss New Seasons Of MST3K, But That’s It
I think I accidentally bought a Windows tablet …
For those that know I’m a Mac user and might wonder why in the world I’d want a Windows tablet, let me start with some computer background about me and the family.
I’ve been a user of Macs since 2007. I’m fairly heavy into the Apple ecosystem with a MacBook Pro, a MacBook Air, an iPad Pro, an iPhone 6s, an Apple TV, plus hundreds of movies, many TV shows, and thousands of songs from the iTunes store. And that’s just me. I’ve bought many other devices for family members.
Now, I’m not exclusively Mac. I have a fairly decent Windows desktop computer, as well as having virtual Windows computers on my MacBooks. The grandchildren use Windows computers still. All those that are double-digit ages got computers, and I’ve kept them updated every 3-4 years provided they swap them back to me. That ensures they take care of them. Not all do, but most of them do.
At work, I use a Windows computer. Not my choice, but what they assign me. I would prefer to use a Mac, but I cannot justify the extra expense to the company, so I use the Windows machine. I also log in and work remote regularly. That requires a Windows computer, which normally means my Windows desktop.
I was using a virtual machine on my Mac to log in to work if an emergency came up and I wasn’t at home … and had my MacBook with me, which I often did. However, my virtual machine (using Parallels) has recently encountered an issue with the shift key. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Caps Lock always works, but some characters (! @ # $ % etc) are only possible — or feasible; I know about ALT-KEYPAD but prefer to not do that — via the shift key.
Now, considering that in a year or so, I’ll be updating at least three of the grandchildren’s computers, and that it would be useful to have a reliable Windows laptop for emergency remote log in, I’ve been looking at getting a Windows laptop. The grandchildren’s computers have all been Dell Inspiron laptops, which I’ve found reliable, and, until recently, easy to work on if necessary. But, as those three are looking to finish high school in another year, I’m thinking a better grade of laptop might be better for college.
Anyway, I’ve been looking at Dell’s XPS line of laptops. I’ve never had one of those, and wasn’t sure if it would be good to get one of those, or a MacBook. Getting an XPS for me would get me familiar with how good they actually are as well as solve my immediate need for a reliable emergency remote work computer. So, I’ve been looking at the XPS line.
They ain’t cheap. But, I looked into the Dell outlet — that’s their discontinued and refurbished store — and saw some XPS machines with solid state drives at pretty good prices compared to a MacBook. So, I shopped there for a bit. I wanted at least 256 GB drive, 8 GB RAM, and at least a 13-inch screen. However, it came down to “pick two.” So, I went with the drive and RAM, and settled for a 12-inch screen, similar to what the MacBook line offers.
It came in last week, and when I opened the box, it was kinda sparse inside. A laptop and a power supply. Truly bare bones. So, I plugged the laptop in (USB-C connection for power) and let it sit for a bit while I took care of other stuff for a few hours. Then, that evening, after supper, I decided to dive in. First thing I did was open the device. That’s when the screen came off in my hands.
I sat there for a minute with what I can only figure was a really stupid look on my face until I realized that it was designed to do that. It had connection pins and magnetic alignment to ensure they were touching. It was, in essence, a 12-inch Windows tablet and a full-size hard keyboard attachment.
The touchpad works very well, as good as my MacBook keypads. At least, so far. The screen is a little small (being old sucks), but I knew what I was getting into when I started. Changing the resolution (lowering it) has helped that a little.
So, I’m using a Windows laptop, specifically a Dell XPS 12, which is actually a tablet. (Note: Windows PC and mobile operating systems are the same, unlike Apple’s macOS for computers and iOS for mobile.)
So far, so good. But I still feel a little stupid for not realizing what I was buying.
Google Chromebook
Well, I got a new toy. I bought a Google Chromebook. They’re cheap. I didn’t get the cheapest, though. I bought an HP Chromebook
The Chromebook is a pretty good little device. If you have a Google account, like a Gmail account, and use the Chrome browser, you’ll feel right at home using one.
Essentially, it’s a laptop. It helps to have Internet service. In fact, it pretty much depends on your having Internet access. That’s why I got the LTE version, so that if I want to use it away from a WiFi network, I have full functionality. Of course, if you have a phone that can also work as a hotspot, you can save a few bucks and get a WiFi-only device. Of course, those cost less.
Everything runs in a browser. Sounds odd, I know, but they make it work. I can’t speak to your everyday computer usage, but mine is pretty much browser-based. But, I do use Microsoft Word and Excel on a regular basis. Chromebook works with Word Online (that’s a Microsoft-supported thing) and Excel Online (again, Microsoft). I’m writing this review using Word Online, and will copy it into WordPress when I’m done for posting on the blog.
One thing is something that I really don’t use a lot is a printer. It’s been over a year since I printed anything. However, I did set up and test using Google Cloud Print via the Chromebook. And, it works. One drawback is that a printer can only be tied to one Google account. I suppose that’s fine for most people, but that would also be an issue for a family Chromebook, where it has multiple users (and accounts) in the household. Or multiple Chromebooks.
Suppose Dad was logged in to the Chromebook and registered the family computer to use his Google account. Then, he logged off, and Mom logged on. She can’t use that same printer. Then if Junior logged on, he’d run into the same thing. Sissy, too. Google needs to come up with a solution to that.
I use iTunes. However, there is no iTunes for Chromebook. I can upload my music to Google Play Music, but not movies or TV shows. And, to be honest, I really don’t want to hassle with copying thousands of songs to Google Play; I’m not going to drop iTunes.
While I don’t use Skype much, I do use FaceTime. Neither are supported. Google Hangouts works, though, and actually works okay. I had never used it before testing it out on this Chromebook. So, it is an option. Kinda. But, really, who uses that?
There are also image editing tools available. The tools work as well for standard image editing. It’s not Photoshop, but neither is anything else. Well, except Photoshop.
So, many of the applications I use (and many people use) have equivalents, but not all of the equivalents are what I want to work with. Primarily, it’s Google Hangouts and Google Play Music that I’m not too fond of. The others are okay.
The 100 GB Google Drive account (online storage) that comes with it is pretty nice. And, you can save some content locally. How much depends on what size drive you get. I got 16 GB; most come that size. They’ve done a good job of making it not just possible, but easy to save photos, documents, and such.
What all that means is the Chromebook won’t work as a primary computer for all my needs. But, for many users — those that primarily do the Facebook and the email thing — it’s perfect.
I’ve been using it as a travel computer. I went out of town a couple of weekends ago, and took the Chromebook and my MacBook with me. None of the computer stuff I did for myself needed the MacBook. I did all my personal computer stuff on the Chromebook.
For the past week, I’ve been using the Chromebook as my regular computer. I’ve written all my blog posts, checking out the Facebook, reading and writing email, and everything else I would normally do with my MacBook, and it served well.
The battery works well. I’ve not run it down all the way yet, but I have been charging it each night. Or most nights.
As it stands now, it’s my new travel computer. And my quick, go-to computer for sitting on the couch. I like it.
Amazon Fire TV
Got a new toy. Yay!
This week, Amazon introduced a streaming box. They call it the Amazon Fire TV
Now, I already have a Roku. And an Apple TV. And a Chromecast. Oh, and a TiVo. So, why do I need another streaming device? Well, I don’t. But I got one anyway. And, I spent a good deal of last night looking it over, trying it out.
Unboxing the Amazon Fire TV
I opened the box, hooked up an HDMI cable (not included), plugged it in, and was ready to play.
Of course, there’s the updates that it has to download. Seems even a brand new item — released on Wednesday, connected on Thursday — has to have updates. So, there’s that irritant.
But, the device itself? Yeah, it’s a good little streaming box.
Couple of things I noticed. The remote has no dedicated 10-second rewind button, like you get on Roku. Rather, the standard rewind mode is in 10-second leaps. To rewind 10 seconds, you have to hit rewind and then very quickly hit Play. At least, on Hulu Plus and Netflix, you do. On Amazon content, pressing Rewind a single time (a single click) achieves a 10-second rewind. Not a major deal, just something to get used to.
The selection of apps is kinda sparse, compared to Roku, but it has more available than Apple TV, although there is not a complete overlap. It does have Netflix, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, Vevo, Vimeo, YouTube, Crackle, Bloomberg, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Showtime Anytime, TuneIn Radio, Plex, plus a decent selection of games.
Some major missing channels include Sky News (Roku, Apple TV), The Weather Channel (Apple TV), PBS (Roku, Apple TV), WWE (Roku, Apple TV), Yahoo! Screen (Roku, Apple TV), HBO GO (Roku, Apple TV), Watch ABC (Apple TV), MLB.TV (Roku, Apple TV), VUDU (Roku), Dailymotion (Roku), and some others.
Oh, about the games. I don’t care about games. But, if you like playing games, it lets you. There’s an optional game controller you can buy, if you want to play games. I don’t. But you go ahead.
Again, Roku is king of content. It has almost everything, including a lot of stuff with limited appeal. Apple TV has limited content, but most of it is good content with wide appeal. Amazon Fire TV is closer to Apple TV in the limited content, but most of the good stuff, but it seems it really wants to be Roku.
Hulu Plus and Netflix, two of the biggest subscription services, don’t come pre-loaded. But, they’re easy enough to find and add. Especially if you already have them installed on a Kindle Fire tablet. Even if not, they’re easy to find.
Both work similar to the way they work on Roku. The experience of navigating the menus is consistent. Once difference is that, unlike Roku, you do have the “Play from beginning” option on Netflix content.
The Amazon Fire TV is also very responsive. You press a button, it responds. Quickly.
They do a very good job of integrating the non-Amazon content in the menus. For example, on Roku, if you go to Movies or TV on the Main Menu, you are essentially in the M-GO app. However, on the Fire TV, while the emphasis is on Amazon, you also get access to non-Amazon content.
For instance, I’ve been watching the old Doctor Who episodes. So, when I go to TV, then scroll to “Your TV Shows” section, I see shows I own or have in my Watchlist, including The Mentalist, Star Trek, Major Crimes, and, of course, Doctor Who. When I select Doctor Who, I see episodes that are on Amazon Prime, and episodes that are on Hulu Plus. I didn’t see any Netflix episodes, but I think that’s because all the episodes available on Netflix are also available on Amazon Prime.
Again, they did a good job of integrating non-Amazon content into the menus, but only for content that other services offer they Amazon doesn’t.
Let’s get right to it: is it worth it?
Well, if you already have a Roku or Apple TV, it would be hard to make the case for a Fire TV box. It makes more sense to add it to an Apple TV setup than it does a Roku setup. But replace either? I wouldn’t give one up for it.
If you were interested in your first streaming box, I’d still recommend a Roku (particularly the Roku 3), if I had to pick just one. But, if you chose an Apple TV instead, you’d be making a good choice. And, now I’m comfortable saying that if you chose Amazon Fire TV, you’d be making a good choice.
Before this week, online streaming boxes were Roku, Apple TV, and then everybody else. Now, it’s Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and then everybody else.
Sex: ur doing it wrong
According to one survey, 20% of Americans 18-34 have used a smartphone during sex.
Now, if that involved using the smartphone to look at porn with one hand while …
I kinda don’t think so. I think the survey was talking about actual two-person sex:
20% of US 18-34 year olds have admitted to having used a smartphone during sex (Harris Interactive) and Twitter users on average have shorter relationships than non users (OK Cupid) – is tech just turning us off?
A recent poll for Durex (OnePoll) on the UK’s sex life revealed shocking statistics including 12% of people had answered a phone during sex, one in ten had read a text and over 5% of respondents had even checked Facebook while making love.
Answering the phone? What’s that about?
She: “I’m sorry, I need to take this.”
He: “Um, isn’t that what you were just doing, Sweetheart”
or
He: “This might be for me.”
She: “So was this.”
Checking Facebook? Going at it all hot and heavy and suddenly you’re inspired to see what recipes your mom has posted? I think you need to make an appointment with Dr. Freud, there, Sparky.
Promise me this. If you are one of those people who find other things to do during sex, you’ll do your partner a favor and set her (or him) free. Really.
I like tech. I really like tech. But there’s a time and a place for everything.
If your phone rings during sex, and you decide to answer it, trust me when I tell you it’s not Ed McMahon wanting to give you a million dollars. Ed McMahon is dead. And so, apparently, is your relationship.