Misfire - Slashdot User

Facebook Patent Imagines Triggering Your Phone's Mic When a Hidden Signal Plays on TV (gizmodo.com) 169

Posted by msmash on Wednesday June 27, 2018 @06:50PM from the things-Facebook-does dept.

Based on a recently published patent application, Facebook could one day use ads on television to further violate a user's privacy. From a report: The patent is titled "broadcast content view analysis based on ambient audio recording." It describes a system in which an "ambient audio fingerprint or signature" that's inaudible to the human ear could be embedded in broadcast content like a TV ad. When a hypothetical user is watching this ad, the audio fingerprint could trigger their smartphone or another device to turn on its microphone, begin recording audio and transmit data about it to Facebook.

Creating a Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Bootable Flash Drive 206

Posted by timothy on Thursday July 07, 2011 @03:53PM from the no-you-probably-can't-put-it-on-your-netbook dept.

WankerWeasel writes "With the release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion this month, Apple will no longer offer a bootable installer DVD and is making 10.7 Lion available only through the App Store. This guide provides quick instructions on how to use the OS X 10.7 Lion installer to create a bootable flash drive (instructions for making a bootable DVD are also included on the blog)."

Titan May Have an Ocean 109

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday April 18, 2011 @10:40AM from the too-cold-to-swim-here-too dept.

olsmeister writes "Titan has been a particular focus of attention because of its dense, complex atmosphere, its weather and its lakes and oceans. Now it looks as if Titan is even stranger still. The evidence comes from careful observations of Titan's orbit and rotation. This indicates that Titan has an orbit similar to our Moon's; it always presents the same face toward Saturn and its axis of rotation tilts by about 0.3 degrees. This data allows astronomers to work out Titan's moment of inertia and points to something interesting. The numbers indicate that Titan's moment of inertia can only be explained if it is a solid body that is denser near the surface than it is at its center."

Comment Re:deep space probes (Score 2, Informative) 508

by Misfire on Tuesday June 29, 2010 @01:13PM (#32733182) Attached to: NASA Should Focus On Going To..

We haven't seen Sol from 1 AU "above."

Not to quibble, but... we have. The Ulysses mission studied both solar poles at high latitudes. Sure, it was a bit more than 2 AU, and the latitude of the spacecraft "only" reached about +/- 80 degrees relative to the ecliptic, but I'd say you can cross this feat off of your list. :)

Apple's "iKey" Wants To Unlock All Doors 383

Posted by kdawson on Monday March 08, 2010 @09:15AM from the get-yours-at-ikea dept.

Pickens writes "The Telegraph reports that Apple is developing technology, already being nicknamed the 'iKey,' which will allow users to gain access to their office and unlock their car or front door with a single electronic device like an iPhone. Users would simply have to enter a PIN and wave the device over an electronic pad fitted beside a door to open it. 'The device can communicate with an external device to open a lock. By way of example, the electronic device may be a model of an iPhone,' says the newly released patent application. 'The external device may be any suitable electronic device such as a portable media player, personal data assistant or electronic lock that may be used to access a door, car, house, or other physical area.' The technology behind the invention is known as Near Field Communication; it allows electronic devices to transmit information when in proximity. 'If true, it's a very big deal. As well as opening doors and unlocking your car, it could also turn your iPhone into an electronic wallet and ID card,' says Leander Kahney, a consumer technology expert. 'The trouble is that the technology hasn't gone completely mainstream. If Apple were to adopt the technology, they would likely set the standard, and that would drive widespread adoption as everyone scrambles to make their systems iPhone-friendly.'"

Submission + - Apple's Master 'iKey' To Unlock All Your Doors 2

Submitted by

Pickens

on Sunday March 07, 2010 @07:16PM

Pickens writes: "The Telegraph reports that Apple is developing technology, already being nicknamed the "iKey", which will allow users to unlock their car, front door and gain access to their office with a single electronic device like the iPhone. Users would simply have to enter a pin code and wave the device over an electronic pad fitted beside a door to open it. "The device can communicate with an external device to open a lock. By way of example, the electronic device may be a model of an iPhone," says Apple's patent application. "The external device may be any suitable electronic device such as a portable media player, personal data assistant or electronic lock that may be used to access a door, car, house or other physical area." According to the patent, the iPhone would be used to unlock doors to buildings and cars by exploiting a technology known as Near Field Communication, which allows electronic devices to transmit information between each other when in proximity. "If true, it's a very big deal. As well as opening doors and unlocking your car, it could also turn your iPhone into an electronic wallet and ID card," says Leander Kahney, a consumer technology expert. "The trouble is that the technology hasn't gone completely mainstream. If Apple were to adopt the technology, they would likely set the standard, and that would drive widespread adoption as everyone scrambles to make their systems iPhone-friendly.""

DARPA Aims for Synthetic Life With a Kill Switch 295

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday February 05, 2010 @04:26PM from the things-not-to-backport dept.

jkinney3 writes to mention that DARPA's mad scientists have undertaken a new program designed to create synthetic organisms, complete with a "kill switch." The project, dubbed BioDesign, is dumping $6 million into "removing the randomness of evolutionary advancement" by creating genetically engineered masterpieces. "Of course, Darpa's got to prevent the super-species from being swayed to do enemy work — so they'll encode loyalty right into DNA, by developing genetically programmed locks to create 'tamper proof' cells. Plus, the synthetic organism will be traceable, using some kind of DNA manipulation, 'similar to a serial number on a handgun.' And if that doesn't work, don't worry. In case Darpa's plan somehow goes horribly awry, they're also tossing in a last-resort, genetically-coded kill switch."

Submission + - Universe closer to heat death than once thought? (arxiv.org)

Submitted by TapeCutter on Monday January 25, 2010 @11:30PM

TapeCutter writes: In a paper soon to be published in the Astrophisical journal Australian researchers have estimated the entrophy of the universe is about 30 times higher than current estimates. For those of us who like their science in the form of a car analogy Dr. Lineweaver compared their results to a car's gas tank. He states, "It's a bit like looking at your gas gauge and saying `I thought I had half a gas tank, but I only have a quarter of a tank."

Comment Re:Why reduce the DPI instead of using larger font (Score 2, Funny) 549

by Misfire on Monday November 16, 2009 @08:18PM (#30124112) Attached to: Are There Affordable Low-DPI Large-Screen LCD Monitors?

My bifocals would like to have a word with your simple five-dollar solution. :P

Michael Crichton Dead At 66 388

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday November 05, 2008 @09:39PM from the velociraptors-confirm-it dept.

Many readers have submitted stories about the death of Michael Crichton. The 66-year-old author of Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain died unexpectedly Tuesday "after a courageous and private battle against cancer," a press release said. In addition to writing, he also directed such sci-fi classics as Westworld and Runaway. Crichton was married five times and had one child.

WV Voters Say Machines Are Switching Votes 900

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday October 27, 2008 @11:20AM from the he-who-pays-diebold-wins dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Three Putnam County voters say electronic voting machines changed their votes from Democrats to Republicans when they cast early ballots last week. This is the second West Virginia county where voters have reported this problem. Last week, three voters in Jackson County told The Charleston Gazette their electronic vote for 'Barack Obama' kept flipping to 'John McCain.'"

Comment My low-tech solution... (Score 1) 696

by Misfire on Thursday August 28, 2008 @11:00AM (#24779603) Attached to: What To Do With All of My Gadget Chargers?

I have a similar problem. I keep it under control by keeping the cords bundled up and secured with twist ties--often the original ties that come with the charger. I only let the cords out enough to be useful. I have a power strip with one or two usable outlets on top of my desk, where I plug in the charger I need to use at the moment. All of the other chargers go into a plastic popcorn tub that sits under my desk. Keeping the cords bundled keeps them from getting tangled up with each other too much.

Slashdot Top Deals