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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 16 Issue 43
Volume 16, Issue 43 Atari Online News, Etc. October 24, 2014
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2014
All Rights Reserved
Atari Online News, Etc.
A-ONE Online Magazine
Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
Rob Mahlert, Associate Editor
Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
Albert Dayes -- "CC: Classic Chips"
Rob Mahlert -- Web site
Thomas J. Andrews -- "Keeper of the Flame"
With Contributions by:
Fred Horvat
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #1643 10/24/14
~ WHO Ebola Email Scam! ~ People Are Talking! ~ Aranym Gets Updated!
~ FCC Adds Cybersecurity! ~ UK Threatens Web Trolls! ~ Call of Duty Specs!
~ Upstart Social Networks ~ Raymond Leaves Ubisoft! ~ Hands On with Inbox!
~ PC Tech Support Scam! ~ Brit Grandma Blocks WiFi ~ Facebook's New Rooms!
-* New Donkey Kong Secrets Found *-
-* Apple Issues iCloud Security Warning! *-
-* China: Hard To Resume Cyber Security Talks! *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Election Day is rapidly approaching for many of us in the U.S. It should
be an interesting event. How many of incumbent Obama supporters will
manage to survive. A lot of our local coverage has tied Obama into
the election equation. We'll see how this scenario pans out, soon
enough!
Ebola news is still making headlines. Of course, new case has been
discovered in New York. How many more cases will show up before
something "significant" is done to prevent an instance which doesn't
get discovered right away? We've been "lucky" so far, but we all know
that luck can't last forever!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
Aranym Gets An Update
Hi all developers and users of our great TOS compatible virtual machine!
I have released a new version that received so much attention and
improvements in the last half of year that I could resist to bump the
major version to 1. After long 13+ years of development welcome the new,
much improved version. Almost every area of code was reviewed and
possibly improved, mostly by Thorsten Otto, our fresh new ARAnyM
developer. And Jens Heitmann did an outstanding job on the JIT area - I
wouldn't be surprised if it was fully usable now (I remember myself
saying that JIT was unsupported and buggy not so long ago). Would you
believe you can have a TOS computer for few dollars in your pocket
thanks to Raspberry Pi?
There were also certain updates by Philipp and Andreas, for OS X host
and Linux guest respectively.
The source code is available at:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/aranym/files/aranym/1.0.2/ and I suppose
the binary packages will appear there shortly as well. I will take care
of Debian/Ubuntu packages and I kindly ask the usual builders for OS X,
*.rpm, Raspberry PI and other systems to deliver me the binary packages
(made from this very source code, 1.0.2.orig.tar.gz).
Also, I would love to have a SOLID binary for MS-Windows, ideally both
Cygwin and MinGW (if MinGW can build it yet?). Please you with Windows
who use it for primary development go ahead and send me a good tested
binary, with as many compile time options enabled as possible (NFJPEG
etc).
BTW, around the version 0.9.7 somebody sent me an MSI script that could
be used for building an ARAnyM installer. Maybe it would be nice to have
an aranym.msi package that would take care of the unpacking, installing
a menu item and a desktop icon. I can send the MSI to anyone who's
willing to update it for 1.0 and test it thoroughly.
One more important note: I believe we need a new AFROS, or at least
update the ARAnyM driver set. I think Thorsten could provide the OpenGL
libraries, ideally with some cool examples? And probably new HostFS? We
need to collect the up-to-date drivers somewhere and the AFROS was a
good place for it.
Thank you and enjoy this new major version of ARAnyM!
Petr
2014/10/17 - version 1.0.2 released
==========
Just a quick bugfix release:
o SDL NF CDROM is included in the build correctly
o JIT is supported on kfreebsd-i386 (alternate kernel for Debian OS)
o fixed errors and warnings that prevented build on Debian
2014/10/15 - version 1.0.0 released
==========
Major highlights of this release:
o JIT CPU compiler now supports also ARM platforms driven by Linux
o JIT CPU compiler fixes memory management and adds some instructions
o massive NatFeat HostFS fixes and improvements (symlinks and more)
o NatFeat CD-ROM for Win32 and SDL
o NatFeat OSMesa support improved (OpenGL 4.4 / Mesa 10.1.4)
osmesa.ldg can replace tinygl.ldg now
o seamless mouse integration and keyboard input improved
o NVRAM: many country codes added (from current FreeMiNT)
o libSDL2 is supported now (along with libSDL 1.2.x)
o Cygwin, MinGW, Mac OS X, CentOS and Debian build fixes
Countless bug fixes and many other under-the-hood improvements are
included
as well. This release crowns more than 13 years of continuous
development
by many dedicated programmers (listed in the AUTHORS file). Thank you
all!
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell Producer Jade Raymond Leaves Ubisoft!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare PC Minimum Requirements Revealed!
33 Years Later, New Donkey Kong Secrets Are Being Found
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell Producer Jade Raymond Leaves Ubisoft
Veteran Ubisoft producer Jade Raymond--who worked on franchises such as
Assassin's Creed, Watch Dogs, and Splinter Cell - has left the French
publisher after ten years, it was announced today. Most recently, she
served as managing director of Ubisoft Toronto.
"Today, Ubisoft announced that after 10 years of collaboration, the
company and Jade Raymond have agreed to pursue future opportunities
separately," Ubisoft said in a statement.
Raymond will be replaced by Alexandre Parizeau, a founding member of
Ubisoft Toronto, as managing director of the studio.
"I've spent 10 extraordinary years at Ubisoft, and I am proud to have been
part of many of the best teams in the industry making truly remarkable
games," Raymond said. "This is one of the hardest decisions of my career,
but the Toronto studio is strong and on a solid path. I'm confident that
now is a good time for me to transition leadership of the studio to Alex
and to pursue my other ambitions and new opportunities.
"Stay tuned for more on what's next for me, but for now, I'd like to thank
Ubisoft for its partnership through the years, and I wish them the very
best in all their next endeavors," she added.
Raymond served as producer on the original Assassin's Creed, and worked as
an executive producer on Assassin's Creed II. Other credits include Watch
Dogs and Splinter Cell: Blacklist. She has served as Ubisoft Toronto's
managing director since 2009.
Raymond will officially depart Ubisoft Toronto on October 29, at which
time Parizeau will become managing director. Parizeau is a 15-year
veteran of the video game industry, and served as senior producer on
Splinter Cell: Blacklist and producer on Splinter Cell Conviction and
Rainbow Six Vegas.
Parizeau will report directly to Ubisoft Montreal and Toronto CEO Yannis
Mallat.
"On behalf of Ubisoft, I'd like to thank Jade for her leadership and many
contributions over the years, and wish her all the best in her next
adventures," Mallat said. "The Toronto studio is a key part of the Ubisoft
global network, and Alex has been at the heart of the studio's growth over
the years. He was the obvious choice to lead this talented group of people
as they continue to develop amazing games."
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare PC Minimum Requirements Revealed
By way of the Steam product page for Sledgehammer Games' upcoming
shooter, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, we now know the game's minimum
PC system requirements.
OS: Windows 7 64-Bit / Windows 8 64-Bit / Windows 8.1 64-Bit
Processor: Intel CoreTM i3-530 @ 2.93 GHz / AMD PhenomTM II X4 810 @
2.80 GHz or better
Memory: 6 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 @ 1GB / ATI Radeon HD 5870 @ 1GB or
better
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: 55 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX-compatible
Unfortunately, the recommended PC specifications for Advanced Warfare are
not available. We'll have that information for you as soon as it becomes
available.
Advanced Warfare launches November 4 (get it November 3 by preordering)
for PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 - but not
Wii U. Despite the game's release still being two weeks away, Activision
just recently debuted the game's launch trailer.
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr!
"""""""""""""""""""
33 Years Later, New Donkey Kong Secrets Are Being Found
Despite the fact the game was first released in arcades in 1981, has been
ported to hell and back and picked apart on the big screen, Nintendo's
original Donkey Kong is still giving up secrets, most recently in the
form of "new" music and sound effects.
A user on the Cutting Room wiki has, after digging through the original
game's code, found three pieces of music and two sound effects that were
never publicly accessible (though folks are now telling me at least some
would appear in later games, including handheld ports).
One of the pieces of music is an alternate take on the tune that would
play when you rescued Pauline.
The sound effects, meanwhile, are limited to Pauline yelling "help!", and
another garbled clipping where it's unsure what exactly she's saying.
None of it is going to dramatically alter your experience with Donkey
Kong. We're not talking new levels or developer commentary. I just find
it fascinating that, as trivial as these files are, they lay dormant for
almost as long as I've been alive before someone found them.
You can listen to all the tunes and effects over on the wiki (via
slashdot).
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
World Health Organization Ebola Email Scam
If you receive an email from the World Health Organization offering
information about the Ebola virus, dont open it. The email appears to
be legit, but it is only a phishing scam attempting to gain access to
your computer.
Trustwaves Spider Labs published the information stated in an email,
The information and prevention listed in the attached file will help
you, and those around you stay safe. There is an outbreak of Ebola and
other diseases around that you know nothing about. Download the World
Health Organization file for more information on how to stay safe from
Ebola and other preventable diseases. We care.
Clicking on the attachment will install Dark Comet Remote Access Trojan
on your computer. The program can run on your computer and not be
detected by antivirus software. When the program has been installed,
hackers will have full access to your computer. Installation of the
malware will give the hackers all logging keys pressed and passwords.
The hackers will be able to upload any files on your computer and
download files. The scariest part of this all is the hackers can control
your webcam, by turning it on and off, including your microphone.
Everything in your environment could be seen and heard by the hackers.
It is very ordinary for hackers to use headline news stories to send out
phishing emails. The United States Computer Readiness Team stated you
should be suspicious of unsolicited emails and emails from unknown
sources. Never click on an attachment or link that isnt recognizable.
Karl Sigler, Security Specialist at Trustwave, stated the hackers are
interested in people who work in corporate environments that placing
their system and the whole business network at risk.
So, dont let your curiosity get the best of you by opening any
unsolicited email, it just may be a scam.
In a blog post Wednesday, Trustwave, another cybersecurity company,
released a list of email subject lines that are being used in these
phishing emails. Be sure to avoid emails with subject lines similar to
the following:
RE: Ebola Survival Guide
What you need to know about the deadly Ebola outbreak
So Really, How Do You Get Ebola?
Ebola virus outbreak: Curing Breakthrough Revealed?
SHOCKING Health Alert: Secret Cure for Ebola?
HEALTH NEWS: Secret Cure for Ebola?
Is there ANY way to cure Ebola?
First GMO foods, now Ebola. What Obama doesnt want you to know.
Ebola, GMO, What they dont want you to know.
SHOCKING Health Alert: Ebola is spreading
EBOLA Outbreak FEMA Storing 250,000 Plastic Coffins
You wont believe what Obamacare & Ebola have in common.
Ebola Outbreak Now WORSE Than Were Being Told
Ebola & Obamacare a match made in heaven.
CDC ALERT: 1.4 Million EBOLA Victims by January?
The #1 Food Items Youll Need In An EBOLA Crisis
SHOCKING Health Alert: Secret Cure for Ebola/
China Says It's Hard To Resume Cyber Security Talks With U.S.
Resuming cyber security cooperation between China and the United States
would be difficult because of "mistaken U.S. practices", China's top
diplomat told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Cyber security is an irritant to bilateral ties. On Wednesday the U.S.
Federal Bureau of Investigation said hackers it believed were backed by
the Chinese government had launched more attacks on U.S. companies, a
charge China rejected as unfounded.
In May, the United States charged five Chinese military officers with
hacking American firms, prompting China to shut down a bilateral working
group on cyber security.
Yang Jiechi, a state councillor overseeing foreign affairs, told Kerry in
Boston the United States "should take positive action to create necessary
conditions for bilateral cyber security dialogue and cooperation to
resume", according to a statement seen on the Chinese Foreign Ministry
website on Sunday.
"Due to mistaken U.S. practices, it is difficult at this juncture to
resume Sino-U.S. cyber security dialogue and cooperation," Yang was
quoted as saying. The statement did not elaborate.
Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden has said the U.S.
National Security Agency hacked into official network infrastructure at
universities in China and Hong Kong.
China, repeatedly accused by the United States of hacking, has used
Snowden's allegations as ammunition to point the finger at Washington
for hypocrisy.
Apple Issues Security Warning for iCloud
Apple has posted a new security warning for users of its iCloud online
storage service amid reports of a concerted effort to steal passwords
and other data from people who use the popular service in China.
"We're aware of intermittent organized network attacks using insecure
certificates to obtain user information, and we take this very
seriously," the computer-maker said in a post Tuesday on its support
website. The post said Apple's own servers have not been compromised.
Apple's post did not mention China or provide any details on the attacks.
But several news outlets reported Tuesday that some Chinese Internet
users have begun seeing warnings that indicate they had been diverted to
an unauthorized website when they attempted to sign into their iCloud
accounts.
That kind of diversion, known to computer security experts as a "man in
the middle" attack, could allow a third party to copy and steal the
passwords that users enter when they think they are signing into Apple's
service. Hackers could then use the passwords to collect other data from
the users' accounts.
Chinese activists blamed the attacks on that country's government,
according to news reports and the Chinese activist website GreatFire.org,
which suggested the campaign was spurred by the fact that Apple recently
began selling its newest iPhone models, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, in
China. The new smartphones have software with enhanced encryption
features to protect Apple users' data.
Apple, which is based in Cupertino, California, said in its post that the
attacks have not affected users who sign into iCloud from their iPhones
or iPads, or on Mac computers while using the latest Mac operating system
and Apple's Safari browser. But the company suggested users should verify
they are connecting to a legitimate iCloud server by using the security
features built into Safari and other browsers such as Firefox and
Google's Chrome. The browsers will show a message that warns users when
they are connecting to a site that doesn't have a digital certificate
verifying that it is authentic.
"If users get an invalid certificate warning in their browser while
visiting www.icloud.com , they should pay attention to the warning and
not proceed," Apple said in the post.
The attacks appear unrelated to an episode last month in which hackers
stole nude photos from the iCloud accounts of several U.S. celebrities.
In that case, Apple said its investigation concluded the hackers had
obtained the users' passwords through so-called "phishing attacks" or by
guessing at the answers to security questions that allowed access. The
company said its servers were not breached in that case.
Court Shuts Down Alleged PC Tech Support Scam
A court has shut down a New York tech support vendor after the U.S.
Federal Trade Commission accused the company of scamming computer users
into paying hundreds of dollars for services they did not need.
The FTCs complaint against Pairsys, based in Albany, New York, also
alleged that the company charged customers for software that was
otherwise available for free.
Pairsys cold-called computer users in the U.S. and other countries,
claiming to be representatives of Microsoft or Facebook, and convinced
them to allow the companys workers to gain remote control over the
customers PCs as a way to diagnose computer problems, the FTC said.
Pairsys charged computer owners US$149 to $249 to fix nonexistent
problems on their PCs, the FTC alleged.
The company also purchased deceptive online ads that led computer owners
to believe they were calling technical support lines for legitimate
companies, the FTC said in its complaint, filed with the U.S. District
Court for the Northern District of New York in September.
Pairsys did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the FTC
complaint.
Pairsys and its operators targeted seniors and other vulnerable
populations, preying on their lack of computer knowledge to sell
security software and programs that had no value at all, Jessica
Rich, director of the FTCs Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a
statement. We look forward to getting consumers money back in their
pockets.
On Friday, the FTC announced that the court has issued a preliminary
injunction against the company. The company and its officers have agreed
to the injunction, which bars them from making misrepresentations to
consumers about what companies they represent or whether consumers have
viruses or spyware on their computer. The order also bans them from
deceptive telemarketing practices, and from selling or renting their
customer lists to any third party.
The injunction requires that their websites and telephone numbers must
be shut down and disconnected, and their assets frozen.
After Pairsys contacted computer users through telemarketing calls or
online ads, those consumers were subjected to what the FTC called a
deceptive and high-pressure sales pitch from an overseas call center.
Once the Pairsys representatives had remote access to a computer, they
would tell the consumer that benign portions of the computers OS were
signs of viruses and malware, the FTC alleged. In many cases, Pairsys
implied that the computer was severely compromised and had to be
repaired immediately.
In its complaint, the FTC asks the court to permanently shut down the
company and require the defendants to return their profits. The FTC
previously brought cases against several tech support scammers in 2012
and has received settlements and judgments totaling more than $5
million, the agency said.
FCC Adds Cybersecurity to Its Oversight
The Federal Communications Commission entered the data security business
Friday with a bang, charging a record $10 million fine against two
telecommunicatons companies whose neglect put up to 300,000 customers at
risk of identity theft.
The companies, YourTel America and TerraCom Inc., each combed the data of
up to 300,000 customers to determine who was eligible for Lifeline, the
FCCs low-income discount phone program. The federal assistance program
has also gained the nickname Obamaphone, even though it was created in
1985 under President Ronald Reagan.
The planned fine for the two companies, which are related to each other,
is the commissions first data security case and its largest privacy
violation action ever.
The data the companies accessed between September 2012 and April 2013
included sensitive information like Social Security numbers, addresses,
names and drivers license information. The telecoms failed to encryption
to secure the data online, as a result, anyone could have accessed it
without having to enter a password.
Although the companies discovered the security gap, they didn't alert the
customers whose information had been exposed, said FCC Enforcement Bureau
Chief Travis LeBlanc in a conference call with reporters on Friday. By
failing to do so, LeBlanc said, both companies breached the privacy and
trust of their consumers, as their privacy policies guaranteed that
cybersecurity measures would protect sensitive data.
Lax security practices are the greatest factor in identity theft, the
fastest growing crime in the U.S., LeBlanc said, adding that this will
be the first of many data security investigations by the FCC.
Todays action serves as a warning to other carriers, he said. The
Commission has sent a clear signal. We will not tolerate conduct that
puts American consumers at risk of financial fraud and identity theft.
Because of data breaches at companies like Target and JPMorgan
approximately half of U.S. adults had their information stolen, but less
than half of U.S. companies have taken enough precautions to protect
consumer data, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers 2014 U.S. State of
Cybercrime Survey.
This move into data security by the regulator shows the Obama
administration may be adding more enforcement responsibilities for
government, considering also the $105 million fine against AT&T for
unfair billing, which the Federal Trade Commission cited as part of a
growing partnership on customer rights enforcement with the FCC.
Britain Threatens Internet 'Trolls' With Two Years in Jail
People found guilty of Internet "trolling" in Britain could be jailed for
up to two years under government proposals outlined on Sunday, following
a number of high-profile cases of abusive and threatening behaviour on
Twitter.
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling told the Mail on Sunday newspaper: "This
is a law to combat cruelty - and marks our determination to take a stand
against a baying cyber-mob."
There has been increasing concern in Britain about the growing scourge of
Internet "trolls" who post hate-filled messages on social media, often
threatening their targets.
The parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann are among the most recent
victims, and last month a man was jailed for 18 weeks for what
prosecutors described as "a campaign of hatred" against a female
lawmaker.
"These internet trolls are cowards who are poisoning our national life.
No-one would permit such venom in person, so there should be no place for
it on social media," Grayling said.
"That is why we are determined to quadruple the current six-month
sentence."
Victims have long been calling for police and prosecutors to take online
abuse more seriously and lawyers had anticipated an increase in sentences
for those convicted of trolling.
"There is a public interest in having people put away for a long time,"
Chris Holder, of London law firm Bristows, told AFP earlier this month.
"It is putting someone in fear of their life and fear of physical harm. I
think the law will develop and the sentences will go up and up."
However, some lawyers and freedom of speech campaigners have warned that
criminal sanctions should be the last resort.
"Do we want to criminalise every social conduct that we find
problematic?" Barbora Bukovska, a senior director at campaign group
ARTICLE 19, said earlier this month.
Prosecutions can currently be brought under a number of different laws,
but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) last year introduced guidelines
to address any confusion.
It said messages sent via social media could be a criminal offence if
they contain "credible threats of violence" or target an individual in
a way that "may constitute harassment or stalking".
The government proposes to amend two existing laws to extend the
maximum jail term and also the time limit for prosecutions, from six
months to three years.
Hands On With Inbox, Google's New Way To Experience Gmail
Google arguably reinvented email when it launched Gmail 10 years ago, but
the company's never been one to stick with the status quo or shy away
from a challenge. With its brand new multiplatform app called Inbox,
Google is hoping - oh, yes - that it can reinvent email once again.
Inbox is a slightly confusing concept to wrap your head around. It works
with Gmail as a service, but it's a completely separate interface (and
as of now, at least, one that Google says will exist alongside Gmail as
an option - not any sort of forced replacement). Essentially, it's a
new way to think about and approach your email.
And that's where things get interesting - because the way Inbox
approaches your email is, well, not very email-like. It's a clean-slate
reimagining of the very way email should work and what we should gain
from it.
Let's start at square one: You use Inbox either by signing into the Web
app at inbox.google.com or by installing and opening the Android app or
iOS app. (For now, Inbox is available only by invitation (déjà vu,
anyone?); Google hasn't yet said when it'll open it up more broadly.)
After a brief introduction, you're taken to your, er, Inbox inbox - a
colorful and modern-looking collection of messages and reminders,
organized by both topics and dates.
There's a lot going on at once, and it's definitely going to take some
getting used to. At first glance, to be completely honest, I'm a little
overwhelmed.
Each cluster of items holds messages and reminders from a specific day or
period of time ("Today," "Yesterday," "This month," "September," and so
on). The messages are presented in what Google calls Bundles - basically
an expanded version of the tab-based category system it introduced into
Gmail last year. So emails determined to be promos will all be bundled
together within each cluster, for instance, as will emails determined
to be related to travel, purchases, or finance.
You can move messages in or out of Bundles, if you find something that
doesn't belong, and you can create your own new Bundles as well - and
then train Gmail to file certain types of messages into those
categories. And with any Bundle, you can tap it to view all the
individual messages or "sweep" the whole thing away all at once.
(Your traditional Gmail labels are still present and available, by the
way; in fact, if you open up the Inbox settings, they're listed along
with all the Bundles in a tab called "Labels." But there's no way to
assign a message to multiple labels in this setup; a message is either
in the inbox or in a single Bundle/label - and that's it. Confused
yet?)
Inbox has a few other new tricks up its sleeve, like the ability to
automatically pull relevant info out of messages and show it right on
the main inbox screen. That feature - known as Highlights - works with
things like travel itineraries, event info, package tracking info, and
photos or other files attached to an email; those types of details will
be extracted and displayed right in your inbox so you can see the
important stuff at a glance. Google will occasionally even look up and
add pertinent details, like the phone number of a business you
mentioned in a reminder or a map to a restaurant listed in a reservation
confirmation.
Messages and reminders can be snoozed, which takes them out of your inbox
and then causes them to reappear at whatever date and time you want. From
the mobile app, you can even set a message to reappear when you arrive
at a specific place, like your home or office. (Those options will be
familiar to anyone who's used Boomerang, a third-party add-on that works
with the regular Gmail service in a similar way.)
And speaking of snoozing, you know what term seems to have been put to
bed here? Archiving. Instead of "archiving" a message in Inbox, you
either snooze it, pin it - which is kind of like starring it; there's a
switch at the top of the inbox that lets you view only pinned messages
- or mark it as done, which takes it out of your inbox and puts it into
a "Done" section (basically the equivalent of "All Mail" in the old
Gmail).
Last but not least, when you go to create a new message - by clicking the
floating plus sign at the bottom-right of the interface - you're now
given the choice to create a new blank email, create a new email to a
specific person with whom you've communicated recently, or create a new
reminder.
The integration of reminders is a nice touch, though I'm still a little
confused by that part of the system. Reminders I've created with Google
Now on my Android phone in the past show up in Inbox, but when I create
a new reminder with Google Now on my phone, it doesn't show up in Inbox.
Maybe this is just an early-launch glitch, but at the moment, at least,
it doesn't seem to make much sense.
As it turns out, reminders show up in the actual inbox only when their
time arrives - so if you set a reminder for 5:00 p.m., it won't appear in
your inbox until 5:00 p.m. You can view upcoming reminders by looking in
the "Reminders" tab or the "Snoozed" tab of the Inbox app.]
So what to make of Inbox on the whole? It's hard to say. My first take is
that Inbox has some really clever ideas and appealing features. The clean
and modern Material Design-inspired interface is refreshing to use, for
one; the native ability to snooze emails and have them reappear when
needed is also quite handy. I love the prominent placement of pertinent
info from messages, and the integration of reminders is a very welcome
addition.
But the system in general has a lot going on, and it's all very confusing
and overwhelming at first blush. Looking at Inbox, I feel slightly lost -
and for a tool that's at the core of my work and personal life, that's
not the kind of feeling I want to have.
I hate to say it, but Inbox reminds me a little bit of Google Wave.
It's a cool concept that tries to reinvent something in such a dramatic
way that it's hard to imagine many users getting on board with it. Heck,
as this article has demonstrated, the concept is difficult even just to
explain - which isn't usually a good sign for how easy it'll be to adopt.
Like most people, I have a love-hate relationship with my inbox. I want
my email to be simplified. But when I look at Inbox right now, I don't
see simplification; I see complication. And if I'm that overwhelmed by
it, I can only imagine what a typical person who doesn't deal with
technology all day will think.
I want to use Inbox - I really do. And I'm willing to give it a shot to
see if I can get used to its unconventional ways.
The question is whether with time, this will turn into the next
Gmail-like revolution - something we'll grow to love and rely on - or
into the next Wave-like miscalculation, which we'll love in theory but
avoid in reality.
Facebooks New App, Rooms, Wants to Make Old-School Internet Forums Cool Again
In 2011, Josh Miller left Princeton during his senior year to co-found a
group blogging startup, Branch.
Branch went on to raise $2 million from a bunch of notable investors and
was advised by Twitter co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone. In
January, it was acquired by Facebook for an estimated $15 million.
Since then, Miller and his Branch team have been working on a stealth new
app for Facebooks Creative Labs group. As part of that, he gets to have
frequent meetings with Mark Zuckerberg to discuss the apps direction.
Today, Facebook is announcing what Miller is working on. The app is
called Rooms, and it hopes to revive the old yet popular idea of Internet
forums on mobile devices. It lets users create forums for content theyre
interested in. Then the administrator can invite other like-minded people
to contribute to the feed with a unique QR code.
Early reports suggested that Millers stealth project was a clone of
popular anonymous apps Secret and Whisper. For Miller, its strange to
have preconceived notions about what hes building just because hes part
of Facebook. Facebook has been accused of cloning other popular apps such
as Snapchat and TapTalk recently.
While the app has some anonymous components, Millers app Rooms is more
like WordPress or Tumblr than a gossip-swapping site.
The reason people got excited about the Internet was because they
realized, Wow, I can find other common people to me, Miller said of
the inspiration for Rooms.
For example, if youre interested in the Syracuse Orange, you can create
a SU Basketball room, write a quick description, tweak the appearance
of the feed, and get a discussion going.
Rooms look a lot like the layout of popular app Secret, where a large
photo from a camera roll can be overlayed with text or icons. Links and
videos can also be added to feeds.
Rooms are easily customizable in terms of privacy settings, color
backgrounds, and even like buttons. For example, if you would rather have
forum contributors express appreciation with a beer mug emoji and the
word Cheers! than a thumbs up and Like, you can set that up.
Each room has a unique QR code that can be screenshotted by an invitee.
When that invitee opens Rooms, the app automatically recognizes the QR
code in the users camera roll and lets him into the forum.
Rooms isnt tied to Facebook or mobile contact lists at all. Signing up
for a room requires you to create a user name of your choice, but you can
have multiple user names on the app. No identifying information is
collected, which is very unlike Facebook. So, much like comments
sections on websites or traditional forums, fake names can be used
rather than true identities.
Facebook is striving to remove all branding from the experience, the way
WordPress lets blogs like TechCrunch use it without flashing its logo
everywhere.
Millers team has been working on Rooms for the past six months, most
recently in London where theyre spending a year collecting tech talent
and collaborating with iOS guru Alan Cannistraro. Cannistraro created
some of of Apples classic apps, such as iBooks.
Rooms, Miller says, wasnt a shower idea, and there was no aha! moment
for it. It didnt stem from a Facebook hackathon, like Slingshot did,
either.
When we joined Facebook, we were considering a few other companies,
Miller says of the acquisition. Facebook was really stoked about having
us work on the same problems here. What we realized at Facebook is, if
you add up all the forums and message boards across the Internet, its
huge. But there are no forum apps in the top 100 mobile apps.
The product is almost too simple. There isnt a search functionality for
people who are interested in participating in like-minded rooms, for
example. Miller says there are a bunch of features Rooms is leaving out
of launch on purpose.
We thought, Before we make this more complicated, lets see what people
think, Miller says. Rooms will observe how people use the product and
build out features accordingly.
Miller says Zuckerberg has been excited about Rooms, and his team has had
monthly meetings with the Facebook CEO to discuss the apps progress.
When asked if he ever thinks about the fact that he was a college student
three years ago, and hes now having monthly meetings with the head of
Facebook, Miller laughed and said his close friends keep him grounded.
Upstart Social Networks May Fall on Their Face
Many users are sick of Facebook, but several new social networks don't
yet have what it takes to beat it.
Everyone is so tired of Facebook.
Everyone has always been so tired of Facebook. In the years since
Facebook grew from being a digital college yearbook to a global octopus
of connectivity, the only thing as reliable as the services ubiquity
was the avalanche of stories about how the service was on its way out.
I admit to occasionally being one of those doomsayers, but Ive been
impressed by Facebooks staying power. Whatever the reasons Mark
Zuckerbergs managerial prowess, the comfort of that easy blue interface,
or simply the fatigue we all share at the thought of migrating to yet
another new service Facebook seems to be here to stay. Unless, of
course, one of the many new challengers that have recently shown up can
topple it.
For the past several weeks, Ive been spending time on a couple of the
new services that are rattling Facebooks cage.
First theres Ello, which made a big splash on its official premiere
about a month ago and has been putting out fires ever since. Invite-only,
its a social network that promises no ads and no manipulation of user
data. All of this is spelled out in Ellos manifesto. (A manifesto is
always a sign that users should approach a site with not just a grain of
salt but a clove of garlic and a wooden stake.)
Theyve clearly tapped into Facebook frustration Ello has just raised
$5.5 million in venture capital funding. One million people are using the
network, and an additional 3 million people are on the waiting list.
But.
As an early adopter, I immediately noticed some very basic problems with
Ello. Lets start with the most obvious one: The search feature doesnt
work.
When you log on to Ello for the first time (and the second time, and the
third time, and the fourth time, if you havent given up by then), it
directs you to follow a list of graphic designer dudes whom you dont
know and wouldnt necessarily want to sit next to at the artisan coffee
shop.
Its impossible to find your friends, unless you manually add each one
from their own pages. In order to get to their pages, you have to know
their handles are you starting to see the problem here?
Theres no point in joining a social network just to follow strangers.
Many of my friends have already quit.
Maybe the founders of Ello are too busy pounding drums in time to their
own manifesto to care about such basic matters. Social networks are first
and foremost a matter of trust, and if I cant trust the founders to let
me use their network in order to be social, then I cant trust them with
my personal data, either.
I also spent some time this week playing around on Tsu, which launched
Oct. 14. Tsu displays ads, but it also pays back users for the content
they post to the site. The more popular your content is, the more money
you make, so it helps to already be a YouTube celebrity or at least a
C-list Hollywood star.
If you havent heard about Tsu yet, its $7 million worth of venture
capital funding means that youll hear about it soon. Im not sure,
though, whether youll want to join.
Were using a model based on royalties, and its designed the same way
that YouTubes monetization strategy was designed, said Tsu co-founder
Sebastian Sobczak.
Sobczak was once a venture capitalist in San Francisco, and it shows.
Early users of Tsu need to be pretty fluent in economics just to know
whats going on. The sites FAQs are rife with mentions of embedded
payment platforms and network adoption; the average person considering
whether Tsu is the best place to brag about her engagement isnt likely
to feel at home.
I asked Sobczak about that, and he insisted that it didnt matter:
Content doesnt have to be a song or a video that you make; it can be a
selfie, he said. And even if youre a less social user, say you make
enough over the course of the year to buy a latte. Isnt that worth it?
Maybe? I like the way Tsu works its easy to find people and easy to
use. I like that users get a large percentage of the cash earned from
their own content (Tsu takes 10 percent off the top).
But I fear that the complicated structure of the networks monetization
model and the fact that in some ways, it resembles a pyramid scheme,
with greater rewards accruing to those who monetize first will spook
potential users.
People go to social networks so they can look at GIFs. Complexity is death.
I proved my own point this week. Challenged by the headaches of trying to
find my friends on Ello and figure out how, exactly, I might be taken for
a ride on Tsu, I closed both of the sites and logged on to Facebook. I
clicked like on a couple of posts. I sniggered at a few pet photos. I
posted a request and got an answer.
72-Year-Old Grandma Blocks WiFi and Mobile Signals
from Her House with Special Paint
Up to this day, evidence is not clear as to whether serious health
issues stem from the signals wireless devices send out. However,
72-year-old grandmother Stefanie Russell isnt taking any chances. She
paid out £4,000 ($6,412) to specialists to paint her home in
anti-radiation paint, in hopes of blocking harmful WiFi and mobile phone
signals, reports the Brighton Argus.
According to Russell, who resides in the UK, she suffers from
electro-sensitivity, a medical impairment that causes headaches. The
pain is so harsh that she cant take the bus due to the sheer number of
mobile devices used onboard. Ive not been diagnosed by a doctor, but
my GP surgery is aware of my condition, Russell told the publication.
It makes it difficult for me to get around and see people. I dont
touch the Internet or email its not safe.
Her solution? Four layers of anti-radiation paint, which Russell says
has helped minimize the strength of wireless signals that enter her
house. The painting inside and outside my house is nearly complete,
said Russell. I feel much better now Im more protected. I have a
device which helps me to detect how many wireless signals are near, and
Im reassured that I will not have unwanted WiFi guests coming into my
home.
Russells next step is to warn children in schools about the dangers of
WiFi and the possible health risks that could stem from it. She believes
that broadband is a safer alternative to WiFi.
=~=~=~=
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