The Singularity is Coming

The Petya ransomware is starting to look like a cyberattack in disguise http://ift.tt/2ujsmsw The haze of yesterday’s massive ransomware attack is clearing, and Ukraine has already emerged as the epicenter of the damage. Kaspersky Labs reports that as many as 60 percent of the systems infected by the Petya ransomware were located within Ukraine, far more than anywhere else. The hack’s reach touched some of the country’s most crucial infrastructure including its central bank, airport, metro transport, and even the Chernobyl power plant, which was forced to move radiation-sensing systems to manual. The ostensible purpose of all that damage was to make money — and yet there’s very little money to be found. Most ransomware flies under the radar, quietly collecting payouts from companies eager to get their data back and decrypting systems as payments come in. But Petya seems to have been incapable of decrypting infected machines , and its payout method was bizarrely complex, hinging...

Johns Hopkins scientists develop super-strong metal for next tech frontier http://ift.tt/2tZCrf8 The technological future of everything from cars and jet engines to oil rigs, along with the gadgets, appliances and public utilities comprising the internet of things, will depend on microscopic sensors. The trouble is: These sensors are mostly made of the material silicon, which has its limits. Johns Hopkins University materials scientist and mechanical engineer Kevin J. Hemker has led a team that is now reporting success in developing a new material that promises to help ensure that these sensors, also known as microelectromechanical systems, can continue to meet the demands of the next technological frontier. "For a number of years, we've been trying to make MEMS out of more complex materials" that are more resistant to damage and better at conducting heat and electricity, said Hemker, the Alonzo G. Decker Chair in Mechanical Engineering at the Whiting School of ...

Hundreds of LG OLED TV owners are petitioning for Dolby Atmos support http://ift.tt/2tq4ase Netflix announced today that it’ll start supporting Dolby Atmos surround sound for select titles later this month, starting with Okja. That’s great news: Atmos is the next generation of surround formats, using audio processing to place sounds in 3-D space around you instead of just playing things through individual surround speakers. But Netflix is only going to support Atmos on the Xbox One, One S, and and 2017 LG OLED TVs at first. That’s a short list — made even worse because 2016 LG OLED TV owners have been persistently asking LG to add Atmos support to their TVs for a while now. There are long AVSForum threads , deep dives into the technical details of Atmos compatibility , and reps from streaming companies like Vudu saying they’ve raised the issue with LG to no avail . It’s gotten to the point where there’s a Change.org petition with over 450 signatures asking for Atmos support o...

This glass sticker turns your MacBook’s trackpad into a number pad http://ift.tt/2snzt1L It’s pretty rare to see a laptop with a full number pad. In fact, none of Apple’s MacBooks have ever had one. But if you’re someone who does some serious number crunching, Nums might be able to help. Currently looking for funding on Kickstarter, Nums is essentially a giant glass panel that attaches to the top of your MacBook’s multi-touch trackpad, adding an overlay for a traditional numpad along with a few quick launch gestures. Obviously, just sticking some numbers onto your trackpad won’t turn it into a number pad. Nums creator Luckey is also developing a driver for Apple’s computers that allows users to quickly switch the trackpad to number-entry mode, as well as open the calculator app and even serve as a quick launcher for websites or other applications. Nums is built out of a 0.26mm thick piece of glass, with metallic ink used for the numbers that’s designed to reflect the light ...

Uber hit with lawsuit for not providing wheelchair-accessible cars http://ift.tt/2t1BqTK The Equal Rights Center has filed a lawsuit against Uber today, adding another legal battle for the company to juggle among rape lawsuits and class action lawsuits. This time Uber is accused of denying equal access to people who use wheelchairs and violating Title 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit alleges that Uber has excluded people who use wheelchairs in Washington, DC, where the Equal Rights Center is located. It also says that Uber isn’t offering wheelchair-accessible cars in its UberX line. According to the suit, Uber had the choice of including wheelchair access in its fleet of cars but chose not to, an issue that was highlighted by The Verge last year. “Were they to be accessible to wheelchair users, Uber’s transportation services could have life-changing effects for wheelchair users, improving their ability to work, study, participate in community life, and g...