At the beginning of March, Google released an update for its flagship Pixel smartphones to patch a vulnerability in the devices’ default photo-editing tool, Markup. Since its 2018 introduction in Android 9, Markup’s photo-cropping tool had been quietly leaving data in a cropped image file that could be used to reconstruct some or all of… Continue reading Bug in Google Markup, Windows Photo-Cropping Tools Exposes Removed Image Data
Author: Wired Magazine
Nothing Ear (2) Review: Vibrant Sound, Control Issues
The app also has some welcome customization features. There’s an extensive listening test, for example, provided by hearing experts Mimi—let the app walk you through an eartip fit test, let it know how old you are, and then listen to the series of beeps. After this process is completed, analysis of the results allows the… Continue reading Nothing Ear (2) Review: Vibrant Sound, Control Issues
AI Loves—and Loathes—Language
A few years ago, I found myself investigating the thorny problem of Shakespearean authorship. I wanted to know if the anonymous Renaissance play Arden of Faversham (1590) was written partly or entirely by William Shakespeare. Perhaps, I thought, an AI could look over a field of plays divided into just two categories—Shakespeare on one side of the… Continue reading AI Loves—and Loathes—Language
Travelrest Nest Ultimate Travel Pillow: Neck Support for Great Sleep
Throughout my life, I’ve tried a bunch of U-shaped travel pillows—the ones that go around your neck—and frankly, they have all sucked. But recently I slept seven hours (seven!) in the middle seat of a long-haul flight with Travelrest’s Nest. Normally I’d feel like a defeated Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robot if I blinked too… Continue reading Travelrest Nest Ultimate Travel Pillow: Neck Support for Great Sleep
How You Can Tell the AI Images of Trump’s Arrest Are Deepfakes
The viral, AI-generated images of Donald Trump’s arrest you may be seeing on social media are definitely fake. But some of these photorealistic creations are pretty convincing. Others look more like stills from a video game or a lucid dream. A Twitter thread by Eliot Higgins, a founder of Bellingcat, that shows Trump getting swarmed by synthetic cops, running… Continue reading How You Can Tell the AI Images of Trump’s Arrest Are Deepfakes
China’s Answer to ChatGPT Flubs Its First Lines
China’s censorship regime requires Baidu and other internet companies to block access to certain websites and avoid politically sensitive subjects. The words or phrases that should be blocked can be updated rapidly in response to protests or during special events. But Jeffrey Ding, an assistant professor at Georgetown University who studies China’s tech industry, says that concerns about… Continue reading China’s Answer to ChatGPT Flubs Its First Lines
A New York Court Is About to Rule on the Future of Crypto
Stuart Alderoty, chief legal officer at Ripple, says the company is certain that XRP does not meet any of the Howey criteria, but that it is particularly confident that there is no common enterprise—a group undertaking that affects the fortunes of XRP investors—among XRP holders, only “common interest.” However, the SEC has long said that the majority… Continue reading A New York Court Is About to Rule on the Future of Crypto
Google Rolls Out Its Bard Chatbot to Battle ChatGPT
Google isn’t used to playing catch-up in either artificial intelligence or search, but today the company is hustling to show that it hasn’t lost its edge. It’s starting the rollout of a chatbot called Bard to do battle with the sensationally popular ChatGPT. Bard, like ChatGPT, will respond to questions about and discuss an almost inexhaustible range of subjects… Continue reading Google Rolls Out Its Bard Chatbot to Battle ChatGPT
8 Best Tents (2023): Backpacking, Family, and Ultralight
Camping is intense! No, really. If you’re going camping, you probably need a tent. Hammock lovers might disagree—and we love sleeping under the stars when weather permits—but most of the time, finding and preparing adequate shelter for yourself, your family, or your pets is a nonnegotiable step toward being comfy in the great outdoors. There… Continue reading 8 Best Tents (2023): Backpacking, Family, and Ultralight
Senators Warn the Next US Bank Run Could Be Rigged
Idaho senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee—who also serves on the Intelligence Committee—says he’d be surprised if they didn’t mimic the digital pressure campaign that experts say caused the bank runs. “We see all kinds of input from foreign actors trying to do harm to the country, so it’s really… Continue reading Senators Warn the Next US Bank Run Could Be Rigged