Inductive Seasoning!
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| Inductive Seasoning! | |
| Number | 3480 |
| Broadcast Date | MARCH 4, 2019 |
| Episode Length | 29:15 |
| Hosts | Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang |
How induction burners will replace stoves, Google’s Project Zero finds kernel flaw in MacOS, and Facebook still targeting ads at folks who use phone number based 2FA.
Quick Hits
- Facebook has made its dark mode official for iOS and Android, somewhat weirdly enabled by sending the crescent moon emoji in an existing chat thread or new message. Last month, Messenger also introduced the option to unsend messages during a 10-minute window.
- Sources tell the New York Times that Huawei is preparing to sue the US government for banning government agencies from using its products. The lawsuit will reportedly be filed in the Eastern District of Texas and seek to challenge a provision in the defense spending authorization law passed in August that blocks executive agencies from using telecom equipment made by Huawei and ZTE. Huawei CFO Meng Wenzhou has also filed a complaint with the Supreme Court of British Columbia, that Canadian police and border agents illegally searched her before her arrest.
- Geoffrey Cox, the MP for Torridge and West Devon in the UK, says that his solution to Brexit is an unambiguous call-to-action: “Get Outlook for iOS.” Which has led many to wonder... what the heck?
- Over the weekend, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted the company would unveil the Model Y SUV at an event on March 14th in LA. The Model Y will be built on the existing Model 3 platform. According to Musk, the Model Y will be about 10% bigger than the Model 3, cost 10% more, and have less range for the same battery capacity.
Top Stories
- Remember last year when Facebook admitted it was targeting ads based on the phone numbers people added to their accounts for two-factor authentication? One aspect of that behavior is getting some widespread attention after Jeremy Burge of Emojipedia pointed out that anybody who knows your phone number (or can guess it) can look you up on Facebook whether you keep your phone number hidden or not. It's not as simple as a search-- it happens when you do things like upload a contact list. Like one off your phone. Or one you bought from a data broker. The best you can do as a user is limit this lookup to your friends but there is no way to shut it off completely. Facebook users can also use authenticators like Authy instead of text message, which is a more secure method anyway and just not give Facebook their phone number at all.
- Last week, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) made a hash (again) of USB 3.2 by essentially letting it mean three different speeds. So if you want the fastest USB cable you'd need 3.2 2x2. Hopefully USB 4 will not repeat these confusing patterns. The good news about USB 4 is that Intel made Thunderbolt 3 royalty free and the USB-IF is making it the basis for the USB 4 spec. USB 4 (like Thunderbolt 3) will go to 40GB/s (up from 20) and allow multiple data and display protocols simultaneously. The full USB 4 spec should arrive in the second half of this year with USB 4 devices arriving in a year and a half or so.
- The World Wide Web Consortium approved the Web Authentication API, known as WebAuthn, as an official web standard for passwordless logins. This allows users to use biometrics, mobile devices, and FIDO keys to login. WebAuthn already has support from Windows 10 and Android, as well as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge browsers. WebAuthn is a core component of the FIDO2 standard that supports public key cryptography and multifactor authentication. With FIDO2, login credentials don't leave a users device. They're not stored on servers eliminating most forms of data breach and phishing vulnerabilities. FIDO keys are unique for each site so they cannot be used to track users.
- The New York Post has an article reviving the story we talked about last year that Apple and Tim Cook in particular are heavily involved in the content direction of its original TV shows. The Post reports the same stories we heard before of Apple wanting nicer, family-friendly storylines and creators getting frustrated. If nothing else, it may mean that the situation hasn't changed and is supposed as the cause of the delay of Apple's original TV content service.
- A security researcher with Google's Project Zero discovered a flaw in the macOS XNU kernel. The flaw exploits the kernel's copy-on-write behaivor, allowing for malicious changes to user mounted file systems without the virtual management subsystem realizing it -- and therefore without the user knowing either. The researcher informed Apple of the flaw back in November 2018, and published it as a "high severity" bug well after the project's usual 90 day deadlines. Apple is currently working with Project Zero on a future patch to fix the issue.
- Fast Company's Mark Wilson has an interesting writeup about the advent of induction burners starting to replace traditional stoves. He notes that the avant garde restaurant in Chicago, Alinea mostly has long rows of steel tables in its kitchens and chefs just grab an induction burner when they need it. Induction burners generate no ambient heat, using oscillating magnetic field to generate an alternating electrical current in the pot or pan. The resistance of the pot to the current causes the heating. Pots must be iron or steel and not be too thin. Wilson reports on a concept from product design studio Adriano Design for appliance manufacturer Fabita called Ordine. Two induction burners are designed to hang on the wall so you can pull it down on the countertop when you need it. Modular cooking - Instant Pots for instance-- isn't new, but the design looks good and improves the user experience. Fabita wants to take advantage of the design to launch its own branded line of kitchen tech.
Thing of the Day
- Amateur Traveler Chris Christensen has some important info if you plan on traveling to Europe in 2021 or later.
Mailbag
- Let me start with giving you some background. I live in rural Arkansas. My work takes me over all over the east side of the state. What I notice here, is that almost every small town has one common thing. A Dollar Store. Usually Dollar General. In the last few years they have most all upgraded to having a frozen section, and offer things like milk, etc.
These are not great, but it provides items for small populations in a local setting, where they may not even have another supermarket in a 20 mile radius or more.
I see these...and all I think about is Amazon. I could easily see Amazon make a move on stores like this and fill them with Amazon Basic items, etc. The opportunity to have a very small distribution center in every small town, plus the logistical giant of Amazon could make their deliveries even fast and easier for these basic items. - Sent by Warren
- Let me start with giving you some background. I live in rural Arkansas. My work takes me over all over the east side of the state. What I notice here, is that almost every small town has one common thing. A Dollar Store. Usually Dollar General. In the last few years they have most all upgraded to having a frozen section, and offer things like milk, etc.
- Hi Tom, Sarah, and Roger,
A friend and I were having a discussion about the not-so-obvious most influential tech inventions currently in use. We came up with: drones, LEDs and high powered Bluetooth.
I recently read a news article about the tornado in AL and gave an 'impressed head nod', "Drones flying overhead equipped with heat-seeking devices had scanned the area for survivors."
What tech would you all argue for? Love the show. - Sent by Tim
- Hi Tom, Sarah, and Roger,
YouTube
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| Preceded by: "Mooch Ado about Netflix" |
Inductive Seasoning! |
Followed by: "Chuckable Cheetah" |