Kik might not be the only messaging app to support cryptocurrency payments if Facebook‘s latest dream comes true. According to people close with the matter, the social media behemoth is looking to develop a cryptocurrency that enables WhatsApp users to transfer money to each other, reports Bloomberg. Apparently it’s going to be a stablecoin pegged
Read MoreDash cryptocurrency (DASH) was created by software developer Evan Duffield in 2014 as “XCoin,” an open source fork of the Bitcoin protocol. Its vision was to facilitate fast anonymous transactions over the blockchain. XCoin was rebranded as “DarkCoin” a few months into the launch to highlight its privacy-centric approach compared to Bitcoin. At a time when
Read MoreIt’s the end of the year, so you know what that means: awards lists. In our case, it’s time to crown the best phones of 2018, which is a surprisingly tough activity given how many great phones there were this year. Besides, we recognize that everyone is different, with varying preferences on devices. So instead
Read MoreThe Computer History Museum in Mountain View has two operational IBM 1401 mainframes, which use IBM 1403 high-speed printers. They aren’t some decades-old notion of “high speed” that barely looks sluggish today, either. These monsters slam out ten lines per second thanks to a rotating chain of type slugs and an array of electromagnetic hammers.
Read MoreShe’s back. Ellen DeGeneres's first comedy special in 15 years is up on Netflix – CNET Source: CNet
Read MoreCommentary: Something different from all previous movies in the DC Extended Universe, please. Aquaman: 5 things I want to see from the new DCEU film – CNET Source: CNet
Read MoreWhat lies beneath? Plastic. A lot of it. Scientists discover Earth's deepest point is polluted by plastic – CNET Source: CNet
Read MoreZack Whittaker / TechCrunch: Blind, an anonymous community chat app used by staff at Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and more, left one database server exposed from Nov. 1 to Dec. 19 — One of the company’s servers was exposed without a password for weeks. — Thousands of people trusted Blind, an app-based … Blind, an
Read MoreWe’ve all been there. When debugging a microcontroller project, we just want to put in a print statement to figure out what’s going on with the microcontroller in real time. However, advanced embedded programmers know that printf statements are verboten: they’re just too SLOW. While not fixing this plight entirely, [Atakan Sarioglu] has come up with a clever way
Read MoreNew York Times: Sources: Reid Hoffman funded $100K project that secretly tested disinformation tactics against Roy Moore on Facebook and Twitter during the Alabama Senate race — As Russia’s online election machinations came to light last year, a group of Democratic tech experts decided to try … Sources: Reid Hoffman funded 0K project that secretly
Read MoreBloomberg: Sources: Facebook is developing a stablecoin for money transfers on WhatsApp, focusing first on the remittances market in India — – First focus will be on remittance market in India, people say — Social network is still working out its blockchain strategy Sources: Facebook is developing a stablecoin for money transfers on WhatsApp, focusing
Read MoreFor the first time in a long time, Epic Games is bringing back an old favorite challenge. Fortnite season 7, week 3 challenges and how to complete them – CNET Source: CNet
Read MoreRoland Li / San Francisco Chronicle: Square says it has leased all of the office space in Oakland’s Uptown Station, which Uber sold to developer CIM Group in 2017, with room for up to 2,000 staff — Payments processor Square signed an office lease Thursday for Oakland’s Uptown Station in one of the city’s biggest
Read MoreExplaining consciousness is one of the hardest problems in science and philosophy. Recent neuroscientific discoveries suggest that a solution could be within reach – but grasping it will mean rethinking some familiar ideas. Consciousness, I argue in a new paper, may be caused by the way the brain generates loops of energetic feedback, similar to
Read MoreThe two German luxury car manufacturers could work together to offset some of the costs associated with developing new advanced technology. BMW and Daimler are eyeing a partnership for self-driving car tech, report says – Roadshow Source: CNet
Read MoreJuli Clover / MacRumors: Apple says AI chief John Giannandrea, who joined from Google in April, has been promoted to its executive team as SVP of Machine Learning and AI Strategy — Apple today announced John Giannandrea, who handles machine learning and AI for the company, has been promoted to the Apple’s executive team …
Read MoreSocial media sites and apps are constantly changing and evolving to match the needs of their user base — for good, and for ill. Whether it’s Facebook Watch‘s new shows actually making it worth using, or Snapchat’s reviled redesign, social media changes can be a polarizing topic for the millions of people who use the
Read MoreIf you think that this scratch instrument looks as though it should be at least… three times larger in order to be useful, you’d be wrong. This mighty pocket-sized instrument can really get the club hopping despite its diminuitive size. Despite that, the quality of the build as well as its use of off-the-shelf components
Read MoreThe business model of many of the country’s tech start-ups — spend furiously to acquire new users, worry about profits later — wobbles as one company’s stock piles up on the streets. Ofo, Pioneer of China’s Bike-Sharing Boom, Is in a Crisis Source: NY Times Tech
Read MoreA pro-wall fundraiser has made more than $7 million in three days. Meanwhile, an effort to raise money for immigrants is picking up steam. GoFundMe border wall campaign raising millions, rival 'ladders' effort trending – CNET Source: CNet
Read MoreThe allegations stem from news reports, first in The Washington Post on Tuesday, in which researcher Jonathon Morgan acknowledged creating a misleading Facebook page targeting conservative voters in Alabama and also buying retweets to test his ability to provide “lift” for social media messages. Sen. Jones calls for probe into alleged disinformation plot in Alabama
Read MoreKiddie porn is reportedly being spread in WhatsApp chat groups. WhatsApp under fire for failing to remove child porn – CNET Source: CNet
Read MoreThe US Department of Justice (DOJ) today unsealed indictments against a pair of Chinese agents charged with hacking US computer systems from a period spanning 2006 – 2018. Among those successfully targeted was the US Navy. Personally identifiable information including, social security numbers, names, and phone numbers pertaining to at least 100,000 US Navy service
Read MoreJosh Constine / TechCrunch: NGO report finds WhatsApp groups spreading child pornography; WhatsApp says it recently banned 130K accounts for violating policies against child exploitation — Facebook fails to provide enough moderators — WhatsApp chat groups are being used to spread illegal child pornography, cloaked by the app’s end-to-end encryption. NGO report finds WhatsApp groups
Read MoreDean Takahashi / VentureBeat: Zynga says it will buy 80% of Helsinki-based Small Giant Games for $560M in a deal expected to close Jan. 1 and will buy remaining 20% over the next three years — Zynga has agreed to acquire the Helsinki-based mobile game maker Small Giant Games, the creator of the hit title
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