Tech Brew Ride Home - Tue. 03/24 - Instagram Co-Watching

Starting point is 00:00:00 On April 4th, 2023, around 2 in the morning, a man was found stabbed multiple times on a sidewalk in downtown San Francisco. What happened next turned the story into a political firestorm. Reports have identified the victim as Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App. From Bloomberg podcasts, this is Foundering, the Killing of Bob Lee, beginning April 16. Welcome to the Tech meme right home for Tuesday, March 24th, 2020. I'm Brian McCullough. Today, a wicked Windows Zero Day is out in the wild without a patch. Google is open sourcing a cool new AI architecture. Instagram wants you to co-watch your feed with a friend. A popular Challenger bank comes to the U.S. and the iPad Pro reviews are in. Here's what you miss today in the world of tech. Microsoft says that attackers are exploiting a critical zero-day flaw in font rendering. that is present in all supported versions of Windows. As of the time of this recording, no patch is currently available, quoting TechCrunch. The security flaw, which Microsoft deems critical, its highest severity rating, is found in how Windows handles and renders fonts,

Starting point is 00:01:26 according to the advisory posted Monday. The bug can be exploited by tricking a victim into opening a malicious document. Once the document is opened or viewed in Windows preview, an attacker can remotely run malware such as ransomware on a vulnerable device. The advisory said that Microsoft was aware of hackers launching limited, targeted attacks, but did not say who was launching the attacks or at what scale. Microsoft said it was working on a fix, but that the advisory should serve as a warning until a patch is released. Although Windows 7 is also affected, only enterprise users with extended security support will receive patches. In the meantime, the advisory offered a temporary workaround for affected Windows users to mitigate the flaw until a fix is available, end quote.

Starting point is 00:02:10 By the way, Microsoft usually releases security fixes on the second Tuesday of every month, so we're not due for that for a little bit. And also, it's possible that Microsoft might not have had enough time to put together a patch in time. But in the meantime, be aware that this is out there. You might have assumed that the App Store is already available everywhere, but today I learned that if you assume that, you'd be wrong, because Apple has announced that it will be bringing the App Store to 20 new countries starting next month. Among the 20 countries are Afghanistan, Iraq, Serbia, Morocco, Myanmar, Libya, the tiny island nation of Vanuatu, but also the sizable African nations of Cameroon and Mozambique, quoting 9 to 5 Mac. The focus of today's announcement is on informing

Starting point is 00:03:04 developers of the upcoming expansion and ensuring they are prepared. Here's what Apple says developers need to do before April 10th. To allow your app to appear in these new countries, your membership account holder needs to accept the updated program license agreement by signing into their account on the Apple developer website. If you have a paid applications agreement, the account holder will also need to accept this updated agreement in App Store Connect. You can then select the new countries or regions checkbox in the pricing and availability section of your app information page to automatically make your app available in all new countries. By completing these steps before April 10th, developers can make sure their app is, quote, ready to be published as content

Starting point is 00:03:45 initially becomes available across new locations, end quote. Google is open sourcing seedRL, a TensorFlow 2.0 based architecture for scaling AI model training to thousands of machines, while also reducing costs by up to 80% according to Google, quoting Ventrabeat. CEDRL, which is based on Google's TensorFlow 2.0 framework, features in architecture that takes advantage of graphics cards and tensor processing units or TPUs by centralizing model inference. To avoid data transfer bottlenecks, it performs AI inference centrally

Starting point is 00:04:25 with a learner component that trains the model using input from distributed inference. The target model's variables and state information are kept local while observations are sent to the learner at every environment step, and latency is kept to a minimum thanks to a network library based on the open source universal RPC framework. CEDRL's learner component can be scaled across thousands of cores up to 2048 on cloud TPUs, and the number of actors, which iterate between taking steps in the environment and running inference on the model to predict. the next action, can scale up to thousands of machines. One algorithm, V-trace, predicts an action distribution from which an action can be sampled, while another R2D2 selects an action based on the predicted future value of that action, end quote. And for a trifecta in developer news today, this one also from Google, let me introduce you to the Stadia Makers program, an initiative from Google to attract more indie developers to the Stadia platform promising funding

Starting point is 00:05:34 technical assistance from Unity experts, and even free developer hardware, quoting 9 to 5 Google. Currently in pilot, Google is looking for developers building games on Unity 2019.3, which introduced Stadia support in January, and expecting to launch this year or in 2021. The experts at Unity are committed to providing developers in the Stadium Makers program with a technical support structure that helps their projects meet targeted alpha-beta certification and launch dates. Stadium makers participants are eligible to receive up to five physical development kits depending on team size and structure. This program comes as Google has had time to improve its tools for developers

Starting point is 00:06:15 after launching over 30 games and delivering 60 updates since November. While those first developers worked with Google directly, Unity, will be handling support for this next wave, end quote. And at the same time, Google has unveiled other new tools for game developers, including Android Performance Tuna, Android GPU Inspector, and a no-SQL cloud database called Cloud Firestore, quoting Venture Beat. Google has overhauled the Android Studio System Trace Profiler to let you inspect and visualize how your code is being executed. Native memory profiling capabilities let you see how your game is allocating memory and discover memory leaks.

Starting point is 00:06:54 You'll also need Android Studio 4.1 Canary to use these. The new inspector lets you see detailed information about your game's render stages and GPU counters. Graphics engineers can optimize their game for better frame rates and more battery life. As for Android game development extension for Visual Studio, this extension makes it easier to add Android support for your cross-platform games. It can generate APKs, deploy to Android devices, or an emulator, and debug your Android game, end quote. Google has also made improvements to Google Play, to scale reach, and provide performance analytics, including Google Play asset delivery, Android Vitals native crash

Starting point is 00:07:34 symbolication, and Android Vitals Performance Insights with Android Performance Tuna. As for Google Firestore, quoting Ventra Beat again, Cloud Firestore is the company's next generation, scalable, no-SQL database in the cloud. Google says its real-time database is not going away. It offers multi-region reliability for 5-9's uptime, atomic transactions, robust offline support, and real-time listeners. Alpha versions of the SDKs are now available for C++ and Unity developers, end quote. Instagram has announced a hella interesting new feature called Co-watching, which will let users browse the app together over video chat. Basically, you can have direct message conversations with a friend while you're checking out saved, liked, and suggested photos and videos together

Starting point is 00:08:33 while chatting via video, quoting CNBC. The new feature is part of a broader effort by Instagram and Facebook to support users and their communities during the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, The biggest role Facebook can play is encouraging people to take social distancing orders seriously. Along with co-watching, Instagram also announced plans to expand the amount of educational resources the app shows in its search results.

Starting point is 00:08:58 ramp up the removal of COVID-19 content unless it's posted by a credible health organization and rollout sticker features that promote accurate information and allow users to donate to relevant nonprofits. Quote, we will continue to prioritize safety, connecting people with accurate information and encouraging support as the COVID-19 outbreak evolves, the company said, end quote. You would imagine in the current corona environment, streaming services might have been seeing sign-up spikes over the past few weeks, and indeed, this seems to be true. With Disney Plus sign-ups up around 300%, HBO now sign-ups up 90% showtime up 78%, Netflix, up 47% and Apple up only 10% quoting Forbes. Between Saturday, March 14th and Monday, March 16th, the number of Disney Plus

Starting point is 00:09:56 signups more than tripled compared to the same period from the week prior, according to data provided exclusively to Forbes from streaming analytics firm Antenna, coinciding with school closures across the country. The period saw the biggest gain for family-friendly Disney Plus in 2020. This is a bright spot for Disney, as much of its business is placed on pause. Earlier this month, the company decided to close its theme parks in the U.S. and Europe, in addition to the ones in Asia that had been shuttered earlier. Its film studio has also delayed the release of tentpole films like Mulan and Black Widow and faces an uncertain future when movie theaters open again. Last week, Disney announced its intention to raise cash to deal with the loss of revenue. Perhaps the jump in

Starting point is 00:10:39 Disney Plus subscribers can help with that as well. Something to watch for, though, whether or not this hunger for content will translate into memberships for upcoming services like HBO Max, debuting in May, and NBC Universal's Peacock, which will have a soft launch in April and be released nationwide in July. Like Disney Plus, HBO Max and Peacock will have deep catalogs of classic films and television shows that audiences may find comforting in this time of uncertainty and fear, end quote. Also, though, worth watching whether or not these trial signups actually translate into long-term subscribers. In somewhat related news, YouTube is announcing that it will limit video quality for, its videos around the world for a month, starting today, in an effort to ease internet traffic. One of those newfangled mobile-only British banking apps called Revolut, which has more than 10 million

Starting point is 00:11:40 customers in Europe, is launching today in the U.S. This is one of those so-called challenger banks that has gotten so much attention in Europe. Revolute recently raised a $500 million funding round, valuing the company at $5.5 billion. Starting today, anyone in the U.S. can sign up for a Revolut debit card, quoting TechCrunch. Like competing challenger banks such as Chime and N26, Revolut lets you open an account from your phone. After downloading the app, you enter personal details and send a few official documents to comply with Know Your Customer Regulations. After that, you get U.S. account details, and you can instantly top up your account with a bank transfer or card transfer. A few weeks later, you also receive a physical debit card. You can also

Starting point is 00:12:25 generate a virtual debit card from the app. Revolute lets you control your debit card from the app directly. You can receive notifications every time you make a transaction. You can freeze and unfreeze your card, set some limits and restrict some features such as online payments or ATM withdrawals. One of Revolut's key features is that you can convert from one currency to another at a low fee, sometimes without any markup for popular currencies and small transactions. You can hold foreign currencies in your Revolut account or send money to another Revolute user or a bank account in another country. Revolut also gives you local banking details to receive euros or British pounds.

Starting point is 00:13:04 In the U.S., Revolut offers the ability to receive your salary two days in advance if you share your Revolut banking details with your employer. Revul also offers a ton of additional features in Europe, but the company is starting with this basic feature set in the U.S. for now. You can expect more features in the future, such as the ability to purchase cryptocurrencies and invest on the stock market, end quote. Finally, today, the iPad Pro reviews are out,

Starting point is 00:13:32 so let's just hit a couple of those. The consensus across all the reviews I read has been that the iPad pros are fast, the trackpad support is welcome and works well, and the devices have a great display. But now that trackpad support, port is there, it only throws iPad OS's limitations into starker relief, sort of makes them more grading. Like, this is clearly a move to doing most of what you can do on a laptop, on a tablet,

Starting point is 00:14:02 but not quite all the way there yet, which suddenly feels more annoying. Still, Lauren Good at Wired, gave it a 9 out of 10 and wrote, one of the more delightful new features of the new iPad Pro has to do with its software, not its hardware, the new iPad OS operating system, a very on iOS that will run on iPads dating back to iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4 supports a trackpad and mouse. I use the new iPad with a $129 Apple Magic Trackpad. The cursor appears as a bubble on the home screen and over media, and as a vertical line when scrolling through text. The same gestures that work on the iPad screen also work on the trackpad. Swiping up with three fingers to show all of your open apps and using two fingers to swipe to the side lets you pan across.

Starting point is 00:14:46 casual games and apps with endless thumbnail options like Netflix were also a lot more enjoyable to use with a trackpad. This support of a trackpad and mouse pushes the iPad Pro even closer to computer territory, but that's a debate for later. As much as I've used the iPad over the past five days, there were plenty of things I couldn't test, like how the microphones fared in a crowded, noisy environment or how well the ultra-wide rear camera captured photos of large groups of friends. I didn't, for example, sit and do work on it from a coffee shop. shop. I couldn't travel with the iPad on a train or airplane to give it a good lap test or see how it fared while it was smashed up against a seatback. And I quickly grew disinterested in AR apps within the confines of my small home, end quote. And in The Verge, Deeter gave it an eight out of ten,

Starting point is 00:15:35 writing, quote, the internet has been arguing whether the iPad can replace your laptop for years now. And over those years, Apple has slowly filled in the software gaps, but not all of them. I'll just my cards out and say that yes, the iPad Pro is a computer. It's just one that works differently than you're used to and sometimes stymies your efforts to achieve certain tasks. If you're hoping these new iPads would resolve that tension, they do not. I think a more interesting question is what pro means in the iPad context. The real tension isn't between the iPad Pro and the MacBook Air, but between the iPad Pro and other iPads, end quote. Hey everybody, working from home, as we've been talking about a lot recently.

Starting point is 00:16:22 Got a little time on your hands, maybe because you don't have as much work or don't have a commute, or maybe you don't have kids. Or even maybe if you do have kids, what I'm saying is, are you looking for something to read? The electronic version of my book, how the internet happened from Netscape to the iPhone, is on sale now for a limited time for just $2.99. So if you've heard me talk about the book for two years, but never checked it out, you've never had a better opportunity to do so. Now note, again, that my publisher never did sell the e-book rights to any territories outside the U.S., so I have to continue to apologize for that. Please blame my publisher for, I guess, being a book publisher. Book publishers, it seems, are bizarrely not good at checking my notes, selling books. But if you are in the U.S., go to wherever e-books are sold and download my book right now for a limited time for three bucks.

Starting point is 00:17:26 I've got a link to the usual places you can buy e-books in the show notes. Talk to you tomorrow.

Tech Brew Ride Home - Tue. 03/24 - Instagram Co-Watching

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