2026-11-05 08:41:53
Saved my old floppy disks to the #backup system 20 years ago but never have needed any of that data.
--- Old physical storage media are deteriorating. CD-ROMs and floppy disks fail at alarming rates: in one study, only 8% of old CD-ROMs could be read today.
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-11-floppy-disk-history.html
2026-11-04 11:56:39
If the #datacenter tests in #space go well, Google plans to launch two more satellites in 2027.
https://www.computerworld.com/article/4244229/googles-first-data-center-in-space-is-up-and-running.html
2026-11-03 08:53:45
Smart TVs also track what you’re watching on other devices connected to your #TV via HDMI. Yes — contemporary smart TVs can mine that 20-year-old DVD for your data as well as they can your Netflix library. #smarttv #security
https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/home-entertainment/how-to-stop-tv-tracking-disable-acr-hdmi-cec/
2026-11-02 19:37:00
The public vote for the Royal Meteorological Society’s Weather Photographer of the Year 2026 is now open! #photography .https://www.rmets.org/weather-photographer-of-the-year/gallery/weather-photographer-year-2026-shortlist
2026-11-01 08:48:15
Meta considered a campaign to troll a scientist who discovered unpleasant facts about #Facebook and #Instagram:
--- how do we get the academic community to disavow Haidt. Can’t co-opt them, so how do we enrage them … so the #media finds him not credible.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/oct/29/meta-staff-us-social-media-critic-jonathan-haidt-court-documents
2026-10-31 08:23:00
Street #photography competition: The winning shots were captured in 18 countries across five continents. #streetphotography .https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/photography/awards-and-competitions/the-25-best-street-photographs-from-18-countries-across-five-continents-and-they-might-inspire-your-own-work
2026-10-30 08:08:57
The dirty secret of many online services that hoover your data: they never delete it but may prevent you from seeing it anymore when you "delete" it:
--- If the bubble pops, untold numbers of AI businesses will merge or shut down. The data that billions of people give to AI tools could then be purchased by almost anyone. #aibubble
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20261029-the-ai-bubble-could-expose-your-deepest-secrets
2026-10-24 09:07:01
#Smarttv manufacturers are ignoring #privacy settings:
- The researchers found that the TVs running Samsung Tizen, Vizio OS, and Roku OS continued to send network traffic to the respective ACR endpoints when user tracking was disabled in settings.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/10/does-opting-out-of-smart-tv-tracking-work-research-finds-suspicious-traffic/
2026-10-22 08:58:14
Personal Intelligence for Gemini connects to Android Auto - an easy way let AI suck all your life data: #privacy
--- It connects your user information from Google’s first-party apps (Search, Photos, Gmail, etc.) and uses that info to give you contextual answers to multi-step questions during conversations.
https://www.arenaev.com/google_begins_personal_intelligence_rollout_for_android_auto-news-6316.php
2026-10-21 09:22:04
Gartner's top #tech #trends:
“To prevent this systemic exposure [caused by a variety of AI systems] organizations must move from a passive observer of model capabilities to an active architect of organization, human and machine boundaries.
https://www.networkworld.com/article/4238030/gartners-top-tech-trends-for-2027-expand-and-constrain-ai-capabilities.html
2026-10-20 08:32:23
Dumbtv #hack sets your #smarttv free from #surveillance:
“Your TV should do what you paid for: your apps, your HDMI inputs, and nothing else. No ads from the TV itself, no watch tracking, no update you did not ask for.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/19/people-are-using-ai-to-make-their-smart-tvs-dumb-again/
2026-10-19 08:58:20
All of this raises uncomfortable questions about how you can be sure you know who you’re dealing with when communicating online. #cyber #security
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/oct/17/fake-linda-and-me-mystery-fraudster-stole-my-byline
2026-10-18 08:40:15
Local #aiagent could be a solution but troublesome to get working: #privacy
---This process of sharing your digital life with an AI agent means you’re giving an untold amount of personal information to tech companies, who don’t always behave ethically, and who sell user data for profit.
https://www.vox.com/advice/506547/muse-instinct-chatgpt-dots-ai-personal-agent
2026-10-16 08:49:40
Adblockers to the rescue?
--- “There has been a lot of buzz that online ads can be used to identify and automatically hack targets with pinpoint precision, but now for the first time, we have concrete technical evidence showing this process in action,” #adtech #security
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/oct/15/israeli-firm-digital-ads-enabling-installation-of-zero-click-spyware-researchers-say
2026-10-15 08:49:18
Instead of asking how to police age restrictions, governments must focus on accountability and incentives for safer online services. #ageverification
https://www.techpolicy.press/the-worlds-growing-patchwork-of-age-bans-and-what-it-reveals/
2026-10-14 09:21:37
Someone has to pay those massive data center investments:
- Global #smartphone sales fell by 20% in the third quarter of this year compared with the same period a year ago. This is the lowest level for a third quarter since 2012.
https://www.computerworld.com/article/4234747/cell-phone-sales-plunge-lowest-level-in-14-years.html
2026-10-13 17:39:26
The #EU is not only one that has reservations on #smartglasses, but it is acting surprisingly rapidly:
---The regulators said smart glasses manufacturers should implement a combination of transparency measures to make other people aware that they are being recorded. The measures may include lights or sounds when users are recording, ...
https://www.politico.eu/article/lights-bells-and-liability-europes-privacy-regulators-crack-down-on-smart-glasses/
2026-10-12 09:02:29
A lab tested eight scenarios to examine advanced #AI models’ capabilities within an autonomous, AI-enabled OT attack chain. The models achieved the objectives across all eight scenarios, turning digital access into physical actions – in one case finding and moving a robotic arm in just minutes. #security
https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/10/11/ai-systems-are-fully-capable-of-carrying-out-nightmare-attacks-against-infrastructure-and-nobodys-ready/5302450
2026-10-11 09:05:29
A #bank builds its own #AI:
---Revolut already builds its own foundation models, trained on transaction data, and its own large language models, Storonsky said. It is also building its own data centres to train them. The goal is not to compete with American tech companies, he said, but to reach a similar scale. #Europe
https://thenextweb.com/news/nik-storonsky-revolut-global-tech-company-europe-wave-by-vento
2026-10-10 08:32:22
In the book Don Quijote, the main character decides to fight the mills, but has to continue his journey without defeating them. I made a road trip to the region in #Spain where the windmills attract tourists and some of the mills still run – after 500 years since construction – when the wind blows. #roadtrip #travel #Europe
https://klaava.com/a-tour-in-the-land-of-historic-white-windmills/