Gossip Destiny: Tech News Flash

Tech News Flash: Thursday -- April 7, 2016

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Headline Scan
Apple, FBI Tussle Puts Bull's-Eye on iPhone
Facebook AI Fills In the Photo Blanks for Blind Users
WhatsApp Encryption Ups Privacy Ante
Gadget Ogling: Food Frenzies and Rollerblade Off-Roading
Qubes' Xen-Like Security Requires a Leap of Faith
HP Debuts Skinniest Laptop Ever
Lawrence Livermore Lab Buys Brainy IBM Supercomputer
Oculus' Controversial ToS a Stark Reminder of Its Facebook Parentage
The Hololens Academy: How I Became a Novice Wizard

Today's Story Highlights

Apple, FBI Tussle Puts Bull's-Eye on iPhone

The battle between the FBI and Apple over access to the iPhone of Syed
Farook came to an abrupt end last week when the agency announced it no
longer needed the company's assistance. Since the Department of Justice
delayed a hearing on an order to force Apple to assist the FBI in brute-
forcing the password, speculation has spread about how the agency
planned to access the data.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/83334.html

Facebook AI Fills In the Photo Blanks for Blind Users

Facebook on Monday introduced automated alt text, a new tool that
describes what's in an image to help visually impaired users engage more
on the site. People using screen readers on iOS devices will hear a
description of the items contained in a photo when they swipe past
pictures on a Facebook page. The feature is available for iOS users in
the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/83330.html

WhatsApp Encryption Ups Privacy Ante

WhatsApp on Tuesday told its 1 billion users that their communications
would be better protected from prying eyes with end-to-end encryption.
The company always has made data and communication security a priority,
according to Jan Koum and Brian Acton, the founders of WhatsApp, which
Facebook bought for $19 billion in 2014. End-to-end encryption is
accomplished through use of the Signal Protocol.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/83328.html

Gadget Ogling: Food Frenzies and Rollerblade Off-Roading

Of all the kitchen gadgets I own, the rice cooker is possibly my second-
most favorite after the tea kettle. Sure, I could make rice in a pot,
but the dedicated rice cooker makes it much easier to attend to other
details instead of watching the pot. Xiaomi's pressurized version might
prove even better. It recognizes the type of rice from a barcode scan
and cooks it perfectly.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/83327.html

Qubes' Xen-Like Security Requires a Leap of Faith

If you want an effective and different approach to computer platform
security, turn to the Qubes OS. Be prepared to adjust your expectations
and your computing comfort zone, however. The Qubes OS does not work the
way other Linux distros work in adding extra layers of security. It is
based on the Fedora Linux desktop but goes well beyond Fedora's
approach.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/83323.html

HP Debuts Skinniest Laptop Ever

HP on Tuesday unveiled its latest challenger to Apple's laptops, touting
it as the thinnest laptop in the world. At 10.4 mm, the HP Spectre's
chassis is as thin as a triple-A battery, the company noted. The Spectre
is powered by Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and weighs in at 2.45
pounds. It has a 13.3-inch Gorilla glass display, and stereo speakers
from Bang & Olufsen.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/83326.html

Lawrence Livermore Lab Buys Brainy IBM Supercomputer

IBM last week announced that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has
purchased its TrueNorth processor-based cognitive computing platform.
The purchase included an end-to-end ecosystem and a multisocket host
node. The lab will build a supercomputer based on the platform to see
how neural networks might be used in the U.S. National Nuclear Security
Administration's cybersecurity program.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/83321.html

Oculus' Controversial ToS a Stark Reminder of Its Facebook Parentage

Oculus last week updated its terms of service to accompany the release
of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, raising privacy and content
ownership concerns. Software will be installed to monitor how the device
is used, and the usage data will be sent back to Oculus and its parent
company, Facebook, according to the terms of service. Collected data
could be shared with third parties.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/83317.html

The Hololens Academy: How I Became a Novice Wizard

At last week's Microsoft Build conference, I attended the Hololens
Academy -- a whirlwind effort to turn me into a master programmer able
to create things out of thin air. It failed. Apparently it takes longer
than an hour to teach someone who hasn't coded in decades to be a master
programmer -- go figure. However, by the end of the class I was
gleefully throwing fireballs.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/83314.html

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