Category: Science / Technology

China Said to Mull Scrutiny of U.S. Firms Amid Trump Tension

China is prepared to step up its scrutiny of U.S. companies in the event President-elect Donald Trump takes punitive measures against Chinese goods and triggers a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies after he takes office, according to people familiar with the matter. The options include subjecting well-known U.S. companies or ones that have large Chinese operations to tax or antitrust probes, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter isn’t public.

Hackers can make it impossible to dial 911

It’s not often that any one of us needs to dial 911, but we know how important it is for it to work when one needs it. It is critical that 911 services always be available – both for the practicality of responding to emergencies, and to give people peace of mind.

Fountain Valley’s D-Link Systems, parent company in Taiwan face FTC privacy lawsuit

A U.S. consumer protection watchdog sued a Taiwan-based maker of home-networking equipment Thursday over claims that lax security left its products vulnerable to hackers. The Federal Trade Commission alleged that D-Link Corp. and a U.S. unit based in Fountain Valley, D-Link Systems Inc., failed to secure their routers and web cameras, exposing thousands of American consumers to targeted online security breaches.

Adobe Acrobat, Reader Critical Flaws Unpatched

Adobe Security Bulletin APSB17-01 documents “critical vulnerabilities” in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat, although the company doesn’t plan to issue patched versions until next week. TS3 and TS3 Lite are upcoming Thunderbolt 3 docks from CalDigit Inc., featuring dual Thunderbolt 3 ports, DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet, audio in, audio out, USB 3 ports and a bundled Thunderbolt 3 cable.

Alibaba Sues Sellers of Fake Swarovski Watches in Crackdown

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. sued two vendors it said used the company’s Taobao website to sell counterfeit Swarovski watches, just weeks after the site was labeled a haven for knockoffs by U.S. regulators. The lawsuit is the first legal action taken by an e-commerce site in China against sellers of counterfeit goods and Alibaba seeks 1.4 million yuan in damages, the company said Wednesday in a statement.

U.S. sues D-Link, alleges lax security in routers, cameras

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against D-Link Corp on Thursday, accusing the Taiwan-based manufacturer of failing to take reasonable steps to protect its routers and internet-linked security cameras from hackers. The FTC brought the charges as part of a broader effort to improve security of internet-connected devices, including routers, webcams, digital video recorders and other widely used consumer electronics devices.

VR First Helps to Democratize the Innovation Landscape of Virtual Reality

New survey highlights interest of universities in a wide range of industry verticals and i 1 2 their preferences for PC and VR/AR equipment, pointing toward the future i 1 2 The latest research from VR First presented at the Consumer Electronics Show with the support of the CONTEXT and IEEE Digital Senses Initiative, reveals an increase in VR/AR adoption at universities worldwide in 2016, highlighting the early impact of VR First’s academic initiatives. The survey, which collates input from 151 universities in 38 countries, shows that the number of HMDs per university has significantly increased from 1.5 to 5.6 in the last six months.

Housing the dead: what happens when a city runs out of space?

Will you choose an elaborate Victorian-style headstone, or do you prefer a “green” burial, with only a GPS tracking signal indicating your location? Or you may elect to purchase a Bios Urn – a 100 per cent biodegradable capsule you plant in the ground with cremated ashes and a seed of your choice which will one day grow into a tree. Issues of mortality and access to burial space are not typically dinner party conversations or at the top of government agendas.

Nokia OZO, Youku partner for 3D 360 VR Content

Youku, China’s leading digital entertainment platform, has chosen the Nokia OZO VR ecosystem of technologies to bring the most immersive VR content to the more than 500 million monthly active users engaged in its premier online video platform which has daily views of more than 1.1 billion. By utilising Nokia’s comprehensive OZO VR solution, Youku users and content creators will be able to experience and share the highest quality VR content including natively captured spatial audio.

Industry Forum boost for VR service adoption

At CES in Las Vegas January 5, 28 companies announced the Virtual Reality Industry Forum, Inc. , a not-for-profit company with its purpose stated as: “To further the widespread availability of high-quality audiovisual VR experiences, for the benefit of consumers”. The Founding Members of VRIF are Akamai Technologies, ARRIS International plc, bcom, Baylor University, CableLabs, Cinova Media, Dolby Laboratories, DTG, DTS, EBU, Ericsson, Fraunhofer, Harmonic, Huawei, Intel, Irdeto, Ittiam, MovieLabs, NABPILOT, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Technicolor, TNO, Sky, Sony Pictures, Vantrix, Verizon, Viaccess-Orca and Orah.

Digital hub in private sector call

DE Minister Pichet Durongkaveroj calls for cooperation from private sector to make Thailand a digital infrastructure gateway in Asean. The Digital Economy and Society minister has called on the private sector to work more closely with the ministry to help Thailand become a digital infrastructure gateway in Asean by 2020.

Elon Musk says SpaceX ready for launch, but FAA isn’t

SpaceX has test fired the engines for its scheduled launch next week, the first time the aerospace manufacturer will try to launch a Falcon 9 rocket since a devastating September explosion. “The FAA has not yet issued a license to SpaceX for a launch in January,” the Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday.

The US Army plans to upgrade its massive Chinook helicopter to fly for 100 years

U.S. Army handout file photo shows a CH-47F Chinook helicopter landing at Camp Marmal in Mazar-e Sharif province The Army plans to fly its Vietnam-era workhorse CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter for 100 years by continuously upgrading the platform through a series of ongoing technological adjustments designed to improve lift, weight, avionics and cargo handling, among other things. The Army goal is to allow the helicopter, which was first produced in the early 1960s, to serve all the way into the 2060s – allowing the aircraft service life to span an entire century.

Indonesia’s new regulations could boost fintech development

The regulations are designed to provide the industry with effective oversight without being too prescriptive and stifling the nascent sector, according to the agency’s chairman. In an earlier draft of the regulation, fintechs were required to hold rupiah 2 billion to register a business with the regulator, and to raise this capital to rupiah 5 billion in order to apply for a business license.

Walmart Tacks on Another E-commerce Company in the Hopes of Crushing Amazon

Walmart is hell-bent on sticking around and not going the way of Macy’s or other brick-and-mortar companies that have fell victim to the burgeoning world of e-commerce and the likes of Amazon . In its latest move to stay relevant in the world of e-commerce the company announced Thursday, Jan. 5, that it would buy online shoe seller Shoebuy.com from Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp for $70 million.

Service from the future

Pepper the humanoid robot patrols the dessert aisle at a supermarket in a department store in Chiayi City. According to the management of “Nice Plaza” , Pepper has been “hired” by the department store as a store manager.

Press release distribution, EDGAR filing, XBRL, regulatory filings

On the call, Adobe executives wi… )–Jasco Products announced it has acquired the license to the Energizer brand to produce a range of LED consumer home lighting solutions that will be showcased for the fir… )–The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco appointed Steven W. Streit, founder and CEO of Green Dot Corporation, to its Los Angeles Branch board of directors for a thre… )–COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA ISSUE OF ZAR 350,000,000 FLOATING RATE NOTES DUE OCT 2021 SERIES 6117 TRANCHE 1 MTN ISSUE NAME. Our Ref.

Letters: Where’s the proof of Russian hacking?

The Inquirer joins those blaming Hillary Clinton’s defeat, in part on “a cyberespionage and information-warfare campaign” . But no U.S. intelligence authority suggests that the emails exposed were false or doctored, or that the Russians, or anyone else, hacked into the U.S. electoral system.

Movie review: ‘Hidden Figures’ tells inspiring story of empowerment in the 1960s

“Hidden Figures” is the incredible untold story of brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

KDA approves more than 12,800 acres for hemp planting in 2017

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has approved 209 applications from growers who have been approved to cultivate up to 12,800 acres of industrial hemp for research purposes in 2017, nearly triple the number of acres that were approved for the previous year. More than 525,000 square feet of greenhouse space were approved for indoor growers in 2017.

HDMI 2.1 Announced: Supports 8Kp60, Dynamic HDR, New Color Spaces, New 48G Cable

The HDMI Forum on Wednesday announced key specifications of the HDMI 2.1 standard, which will be published in the second quarter. The new standard will increase link bandwidth to 48 Gbps and will enable support for up to 10K resolutions without compression, new color spaces with up to 16 bits per component, dynamic HDR, variable refresh rates for gaming applications as well as new audio formats The most important feature that the HDMI 2.1 specification brings is massively increased bandwidth over predecessors.