Firefox 58 is going to become the first of the major browsers to do something about canvas fingerprinting, a devious, cookie-less way of tracking you on the web. Canvas fingerprinting relies on websites being able to extract data from HTML canvas elements silently, but in the future, users will be asked to give their permission before that extraction can take place, just as users of the Tor Browser are.
Browser fingerprinting has risen to prominence in recent years as the go-to approach for companies who want to track you without giving you a say in the matter. It works by tracking your browser itself, rather than by tracking a beacon that’s placed on your browser, such as a cookie, Flash LSO (local shared object) or DOM storage value. Fingerprints use information that’s gathered passively from your browser such as the version number, operating system, screen resolution, language, list of browser plugins, and the list of fonts you have installed.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Firefox Takes a Bite Out of the Canvas “Super Cookie”
Monthly Archives: October 2017
AMD Second Gen EPYC Beastly Server CPUs Could Rock 64 Cores, 128 Threads And 256MB Cache
AMD’s Zen architecture has proven to be a boon for the company in its fight against Intel. AMD first gave us a taste of how powerful Zen is with the Ryzen 7 processors, which were followed up by Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3. Later, we were taken by surprise with Ryzen Threadripper, which offers up to 32 cores of workstation-class computing greatness.
Source: Hot Hardware – AMD Second Gen EPYC Beastly Server CPUs Could Rock 64 Cores, 128 Threads And 256MB Cache
MACOM Sells AppliedMicro’s X-Gene CPU Business
MACOM last week announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell the microprocessor-related assets it bought from AppliedMicro to Project Denver Holdings, a new company backed by The Carlyle Group asset management company.
MACOM closed the acquisition of AppliedMicro early in 2017. Back then, the company made no secret that it was primarily interested in Applied Micro’s MACsec and 100G to 400G solutions, but not in the company’s X-Gene server CPUs. MACOM’s plan was to become a leader in datacenter communication technologies with a focus on optical networks in particular (analog, photonic and mixed-signal PHYs). That said, the X-Gene business was not exactly the best fit for MACOM and the future of the CPU division has been unclear.
The X-Gene 3 server platform looked promising when it was introduced last November. The CPU has 32 custom ARMv8 cores running at up to 3 GHz, with 32 MB of L3 cache, eight DDR4-2667 memory channels with ECC, and 42 PCIe 3.0 lanes. MACOM started to sample the X-Gene 3 among interested parties this March and Kontron even demonstrated a server based on the CPU at MWC 2017. MACOM has not started commercial shipments of the X-Gene 3 yet, nonetheless the X-Gene 3 and its possible successors were impressive enough for The Carlyle Group to establish a new entity that will finalize the X-Gene 3 and continue development efforts.
Neither MACOM nor Carlyle have disclosed the financial terms of the deal, but MACOM will get a minority stake in Project Denver Holdings. Speaking of the latter, it is necessary to say that the new company has its own leadership team and a strong financial backing from Carlyle Partners VI (which is a $13 billion U.S. buyout fund). Assuming that Project Denver Holdings will keep AppliedMicro’s development team and will invest sufficient amount of money in the X-Gene in general, the new company will have chances to remain a leading supplier of ARMv8-based server CPUs. At the moment, the X-Gene is used by over half of a dozen server makers, so Project Denver Holdings is getting a business with existing, incoming and future products as well as customers.
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Source: AnandTech – MACOM Sells AppliedMicro’s X-Gene CPU Business
Sony shows off 'Doom VFR' and the rest of the PSVR holiday lineup
While the gaming world’s eyes are all set upon the start of Paris Games Week, Sony demo’d a number of upcoming titles for the Playstation VR, many of which will be released in time for the holidays. Among the titles on display were marquee titles…
Source: Engadget – Sony shows off ‘Doom VFR’ and the rest of the PSVR holiday lineup
Babies Can Feed Themselves Solid Food
Here’s my parenting brag: I’ve never bought any baby food. I’ve never had a mush of green mashed peas flung at my wall. I’ve never played “airplane” zooming a spoon toward my daughter’s closed mouth. And I’ve never, ever begged her to eat a thing.
Source: LifeHacker – Babies Can Feed Themselves Solid Food
Three Women Suing Microsoft for Bias Want To Add 8,630 Peers
A reader shares a report: A lawsuit accusing Microsoft of discriminating against women in technical and engineering roles is poised to grow a lot bigger if it wins class-action status. With the technology sector awash in challenges to white male dominance, the three women spearheading the case against Microsoft told a Seattle federal judge they want to represent about 8,630 peers who have worked for the company since 2012. The women said their expert consultants have determined that discrimination at the Redmond, Washington-based company cost female employees more than 500 promotions and $100 million to $238 million in pay, according to Oct. 27 court filings. They also accused the software maker of maintaining “an abusive, toxic ‘boy’s club’ atmosphere, where women are ignored, abused, or degraded.” Microsoft said it strongly disagrees with the allegations, saying the filings “mischaracterize data and other information.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Three Women Suing Microsoft for Bias Want To Add 8,630 Peers
I Don't Believe in Ghosts But I Want to Believe in the Haunted Toaster
Don’t you hate when you’re just trying to make breakfast and your toaster burns the words “Satan lives” into your bread? June O’Brien, who appeared on the Today Show in May of 1984, wanted the world to believe. And even if you’re a skeptic, it’s hard to disagree with the fact that not only is this haunted toaster the…
Source: Gizmodo – I Don’t Believe in Ghosts But I Want to Believe in the Haunted Toaster
You've Got To Be Kidding Me: A $1,000 Woven Leather Trashcan
Because your trash demands the absolute best, this is the Intrecciato Nappa Waste Paper Basket crafted and sold by Bottega Veneta. It comes in black and brown, costs a thousand bucks, and holds your trash until your maid/manservant comes to empty it. It’s perfect for the person who has absolutely everything else in the world and still has money left over. Although, if you are that person and really are considering a $1,000 trashcan, I want you to take a good hard look at yourself in the mirror, then hand all your money over to the man standing behind you with a samurai sword, which, God willing, should be me provided I didn’t mix up your address. Also, if you really do have this much money to spend on a trashcan, you also have the money to just pay someone to pick up your trash wherever you throw it.
Keep going for a shot of the brown one, which, admittedly, I do like better, although I’m still holding out for a grey one to match the stone floor in my castle.
Source: Geekologie – You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me: A ,000 Woven Leather Trashcan
The checkout line’s death knell | The Future IRL
We’re all only about ten years away from sauntering into stores, grabbing whatever it is we want, then quick-stepping out like we stole it.
It’ll be possible because many shops will be ringed with machine vision-enabling cameras and sensors, that ke…
Source: Engadget – The checkout line’s death knell | The Future IRL
There Is No Reason to Not Make Your Own Turkey Gravy
A good turkey gravy is integral to a successful Thanksgiving dinner, but making your own can seem a little intimidating. Luckily, gravy is one of the easiest to prepare items on your Turkey Day menu; you just need a bit of patience (and flour).
Source: LifeHacker – There Is No Reason to Not Make Your Own Turkey Gravy
Senators push legislation to protect election systems from hacks
Senators Susan Collins and Martin Heinrich have put forward a bill that would protect America’s voting infrastructure from foreign interference. The Securing America’s Voting Equipment Act, or SAVE, is the newest attempt by the US to prevent election…
Source: Engadget – Senators push legislation to protect election systems from hacks
How to Find a Stud in Your Wall With Just a Magnet
If you’re doing some home renovation work or hanging something up, you’ll need to know where the studs in your walls are. But you don’t need a fancy stud finder device—a magnet will do just fine.
Source: LifeHacker – How to Find a Stud in Your Wall With Just a Magnet
KDE's Plasma Mobile Roadmap From A Feature Phone To A Full-Featured Smartphone
Longtime KDE developer Sebastian Kügler has posted a Plasma Mobile roadmap of sorts for those interested in the direction of this mobile KDE stack…
Source: Phoronix – KDE’s Plasma Mobile Roadmap From A Feature Phone To A Full-Featured Smartphone
Sony Defends Controversial "The Last of Us Part 2" Trailer
The premiere trailer for The Last of Us Part II debuted at PGW 2017 yesterday to much speculation as to who the characters were, but that has now escalated to something else entirely. Sony’s Jim Ryan has responded to accusations that it features unnecessarily graphic and disturbing depictions of violence.
“The Last of Us obviously is a game made by adults to be played by adults. I should never prejudge this but it will probably be rated ’18’, I think it’s fair to say. And there’s that market for those people who like that sort of game. Adults who like that sort of game. And I think we cater for that, and at the other end of the spectrum there was Concrete Genie, which my 8-year-old decided was the game she would like to play very much.”
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Sony Defends Controversial “The Last of Us Part 2” Trailer
Bitcoin in Vietnam Will Be Illegal and Subject to a $9,000 Fine
The State Bank of Vietnam has announced that it is now illegal to issue, supply, or otherwise use Bitcoin. The notice clarified that the only officially accepted means of payment in Vietnam are checks, payment orders, payment orders, collection orders, bank cards, as well as any other payment instruments approved by the State Bank.
According to an Oct. 30 statement, the State Bank of Vietnam said that cryptocurrencies are not a “lawful means of payment” in the country, and the “issuance, supply, use of bitcoin and other similar virtual currency as a means of payment is prohibited.” From next year, it goes on, illegal use of cryptocurrencies in payments will be subject to penalties of between 150 million ($6,600) and 200 million ($8,800) Vietnamese dong (VND).
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Bitcoin in Vietnam Will Be Illegal and Subject to a ,000 Fine
The Slow Death of the Optical Audio Cable
CNET is reporting on what may be obvious: the optical audio cable (otherwise known as “Toslink”) is on its way out, as more and more devices continue to ditch the connector. Optical fell out of favor largely due to HDMI, which offers sufficient bandwidth to transmit high-resolution audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.
Perhaps ironically, many custom installers use optical to transmit HDMI data. HDMI-over-fiber is usually more expensive than wireless, but significantly less prone to interference and issues. It’s also capable of far longer runs than traditional HDMI cables. These cousins of the Toslink connection may share lasers and copperless cables, but they’re Ferraris to Toslink’s bicycle.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – The Slow Death of the Optical Audio Cable
Production problems at Tesla/Panasonic Gigafactory may be at an end
Enlarge / Tesla’s new supercharger in Arlington, Texas. (credit: Tesla)
Tesla’s Model 3 production bottleneck is “now understood,” according to Panasonic CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga. Reuters reported on Tuesday that Tsuga, whose company jointly operates a Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada, with Tesla, told an earnings call that battery production output “could soon be increased.” His comments, which come the day before partner Tesla reports its own 2017 Q3 earnings, provided yet another small insight into the “production hell” that has beset the electric vehicle manufacturer as it tries to enter the world of mass production.
Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal claimed that the 260-odd Model 3s delivered up to that point had “major portions” built by hand, a charge that Tesla strenuously denied. Although WSJ and others have been pointing to problems with the “body in white” of the Model 3—the mix of aluminum and steel that sits atop the skateboard chassis which will eventually be built by what Elon Musk has previously called an “alien dreadnaught“—from the sounds of things, battery pack production hasn’t been quite that simple either.
“This process (for battery packs) will be soon automated, and then the number of vehicles to be produced will rise sharply,” Tsuga told reporters. That indicates that until now, the battery pack production hasn’t been automated at the Gigafactory. Obviously, such a process needs to be automated for Tesla to realize its goal of producing 20,000 Model 3s a month.
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Source: Ars Technica – Production problems at Tesla/Panasonic Gigafactory may be at an end
When to Use "Who" vs. "Whom"
Of all the tricky grammar topics, who versus whom ranks right up there: get it wrong, and you risk looking like a rube. Get it right and you risk looking pretentious. Get it wrong in a different way and you risk looking like a pretentious rube. So we at Lifehacker, who want to be both right and non-pretentious (but…
Source: LifeHacker – When to Use “Who” vs. “Whom”
Jimmy Wales' WikiTribune is Already Biased
Earlier this year, Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, said he would be launching a neutral news service with “no other agenda than this: the ultimate arbiter of the truth is the facts of reality.” On Monday, a pilot version of WikiTribune went live. Adrianne Jeffries of The Outline argues that WikiTribune is already doing things that it said it wouldn’t: As of this writing, WikiTribune’s homepage featured a hodgepodge of news aggregation. The “editor’s choice” module points to a news roundup that includes Paul Manafort’s indictment, the Catalonian independence movement. […] These stories are all sourced to fairly mainstream news outlets, including some that are on Wikipedia’s preferred sources list such as CNN and Reuters, and some that are not, such as Politifact and “Spanish media.” I admire what Wales is trying to do here. […] But WikiTribune is bullshit. It’s not new — it is the same kind of news aggregation that exists all over the web. It is not better — comparable summarizing and linking can be found on many websites, while original reporting of those same stories, often supplemented by linking to other reporting, can be found at CNN, Reuters, The New York Times, and the BBC, which WikiTribune uses as its primary sources. And finally, and most importantly, it is not neutral. The existence of the “Editor’s choice” module, which highlights some stories over others, is not neutral; neither is the “Good reads” section, which does the same thing. The Manafort story includes a section, “Highlights from the indictment,” which is not neutral — someone had to decide which parts of the indictment were more significant than others. There is no such thing as an objective highlight. It is true that the wording of the story does not include adjectives, except when it quotes from the indictment (“lavish lifestyle,” “false and misleading statements”), but this is standard newswriting, as one would get from the AP or the New York Times.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Jimmy Wales’ WikiTribune is Already Biased
Google's video conferencing kit gets an AI camera and display
Google has been trying to get a seat in your board room this year, courtesy of its tools and products for meetings. In March, it pivoted its Hangouts app to businesses, following it up with a $5000 interactive display with collaborative cloud feature…
Source: Engadget – Google’s video conferencing kit gets an AI camera and display