Innholdsfortegnelse for #372 i Techlife News

Apple will build a $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas, break ground on smaller locations in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City, California, and over the next three years expand in Pittsburgh, New York and Colorado. The tech giant said that the new campus in Austin, less than a mile from existing Apple facilities, will open with 5,000 positions in engineering, research and development, operations, finance, sales and customer support. The site, according to Apple, will have the capacity to eventually accommodate 15,000 employees. The three other new locations will have more than 1,000 employees each. Early this year, Apple said that it would make more than $30 billion in capital expenditures in the U.S. over the next five years. That, the company said in January, would create more than…

A Los Angeles federal grand jury has indicted five men who allegedly ran an international piracy ring that offered hundreds of stolen movies and TV shows online, including “Fifty Shades of Grey,” “Godzilla” and “The Walking Dead.” Wednesday’s indictment alleges the men hacked computer systems used by Hollywood film production companies to steal digital files; recorded movie theater screenings and obtained copies of movies sent to industry professionals. The ring allegedly had a server in France that contained 25,000 files including stolen movies, trailers, TV episodes and audio tracks. The men are charged with conspiracy, computer hacking, ID theft and copyright infringement. They live in the United Kingdom, India, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. None are in U.S. custody but the UK resident awaits trial on similar charges there.…

Investigators believe hackers working on behalf of China’s main intelligence agency are responsible for a massive data breach involving the theft of personal information from as many as 500 million guests of the Marriott hotel chain, a U.S. official said Wednesday. Investigators suspect the hackers were working on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, an official briefed on the investigation told. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, said investigators were particularly concerned about the data breach in part because Marriott is frequently used by the military and government agencies. Marriott, which announced the data breach on Nov. 30, has not disclosed what it knows about the source of the hack, which included the theft…

Saying it’s lost patience with missteps and earnings shortfalls, a large shareholder at Yelp is seeking a board reshuffle at the online review site. In a letter released publicly this week, SQN Investors said that it wants Yelp Inc. to add some new directors to its board, including shareholder representatives. SQN, which owns more than 4 percent of Yelp’s shares, says it believes that “the board has failed to hold itself and management accountable for the company’s strategic and operational missteps, repeated missed earnings, lost opportunities and poor corporate governance.” SQN has built up its stake recently, and is now one of Yelp’s top five shareholders. The technology investor, based in Redwood City, just south of Yelp’s San Francisco headquarters, argues that the company’s board lacks urgency in addressing significant…

THE FINAL SECTION OF OUR YEAR-CONCLUDING EXTRAVAGANZA It’s the end of the year, and Apple has announced the movers, shakers and groundbreakers that created the most popular apps of 2018. Last week we looked at some of the most popular trends, games, free-to-download apps and the apps designed to make organizing your life just that little bit easier. This week, it’s time for part two. With 2018 being such an incredible, exciting and diverse year to be engaged with the App Store, we’ve still got plenty more to come. Here, in part two of the apps that could improve your life, we feature the most innovative and popular for your wrist, desktop and phone camera, as well as those AR-awesome apps that reshape reality in front of us. We’ve also…

A journal entry penned when Shameik Moore was a teenager laid out one of his dreams — to play Spider-Man on the big screen. That dream is now partially realized with Moore serving as the voice of the webslinger in the new animated film, ”Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse .” Moore plays Miles Morales, a biracial Brooklyn teen who gains an array of superpowers after being bitten by a radioactive spider. Morales melds his superpowers, including enhanced hearing, wall-crawling and camouflage abilities — while putting his own stamp on the character. Gone are Peter’s Parker’s blue-and-red outfits, replaced by a red-and-black version and a cool pair of sneakers. Moore’s ambition was to be the face of Spider-Man in a live-action film, something he still hopes will happen. But for now, he’s…

U.S. lawmakers’ grilling of Google CEO Sundar Pichai may have sounded like a broken record, but it amplified the prickly issues facing tech companies as Democrats prepare to take control of the House next month. The 3 1/2-hour hearing Tuesday hit upon familiar themes — online privacy, data protection and the danger of digital monopolies — that are poised to come into even sharper focus next year. Here are some of the hurdles that Google parent Alphabet Inc., Facebook, Amazon and other tech companies are likely to face when the 116th Congress convenes. USER PRIVACY Looming over the tech industry is the possibility of government regulation intended to protect people’s data. One model for lawmakers may be Europe, where new rules governing data and privacy went into effect this year.…

NASA’s Voyager 2 is now the second human-made object to zip away from the sun into the space between the stars. Voyager 2 last month exited “this bubble that the sun creates around itself,” longtime NASA mission scientist Ed Stone said. The spacecraft is now beyond the outer boundary of the heliosphere, some 11 billion miles (about 18 billion kilometers) from Earth. It’s trailing twin Voyager 1, which reached interstellar space in 2012 and is now 13 billion miles (21 billion kilometers) from Earth. Interstellar space is the vast mostly emptiness between star systems. Even though they are out of the sun’s bubble, the Voyagers are still technically in our solar system, NASA said. Scientists maintain the solar system stretches to the outer edge of the so-called Oort Cloud. It…

Action-camera maker GoPro says it will move production of U.S.-bound cameras out of China by the summer over tariff-related concerns. Companies have been voicing concerns over a looming trade war between China and the U.S. as both countries have been threatening tariffs against one another. GoPro did not say where production was moving or how much the move would cost. The San Mateo, California-based company did say that it owns its own manufacturing equipment, so it will only be changing the physical location of where production will take place. Production of international-bound cameras will remain in China.…

For the first time, average Cubans became eligible to sign up for internet service for their mobile phones, a development long awaited on the communist-ruled island. Users began receiving text messages in the morning from the state telephone monopoly informing them that they can buy an internet access packages for 3G service. Previously, nearly all Cubans could use their mobile phones only to get their state-run email accounts unless they connected to the internet at a limited number of government-sponsored Wi-Fi spots. Government officials and foreign businesspeople could use their mobiles anywhere to access the 3G network in recent years, though not always reliably. The new service is being made available gradually through last weekend depending on a user’s phone number, to avoid the congestion that struck Cuba’s mobile network…

Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic is preparing to take the long-awaited step of trying to fly its tourism rocket ship to the edge of space. Virgin Space Ship Unity was undergoing final checks in preparation for a test flight early Thursday that could take it far higher than before and a big step closer to turning the dream of commercial space tourism into reality. “It’s a day that we’ve been waiting for for a long time,” CEO George Whitesides told reporters Wednesday at the Virgin Galactic facilities at Mojave Air and Space Port. Whitesides said VSS Unity would try to fly higher than 50 miles (80 kilometers), which Virgin Galactic considers the boundary of space because it is used by the U.S. Air Force and other U.S. agencies. That’s different than…

In the half-century since the original “Mary Poppins” debuted, we’ve learned a lot about refined sugar, frankly none of it good. Doctors tell us it can lead to obesity, heart disease and all sorts of other detriments to our health. But let’s face it, there are times when a little sugar — oh what the heck, let’s say a spoonful — is just what we need, if not for health then for happiness. So it’s sweet news indeed that “Mary Poppins Returns,” a sequel 54 years in coming, provides just that spoonful of happiness in the form of Emily Blunt, practically perfect in every way as the heir to Julie Andrews. “Spit spot!”“Pish Posh!”“Jigetty Jog!” (Did we spell that right?) These Poppins-isms slip effortlessly off Blunt’s tongue. It’s also no…

An environmental law center is suing the state Department of Natural Resources over the agency’s refusal to hand over records related to diverting Lake Michigan water for a new Foxconn Technology Group plant. Midwest Environmental Advocates in May challenged DNR approval of a city of Racine request to pull millions of gallons from the lake daily for the plant. MEA filed a lawsuit Dec. 3 alleging the DNR hasn’t fully complied with an August request for records relating to the diversion. The DNR supplied some records in October but withheld others, saying they were protected under attorney-client privilege or they were drafts. The lawsuit demands a judge either order the records released or confirm they’re drafts or attorney-client privilege applies. DNR spokesman Jim Dick declined comment.…

THE BEATING HEART OF APPLE Despite being announced back in June, it wasn’t until the launch of watchOS 5.1.2 earlier this month that the long-awaited ECG app finally dropped. Available on Apple Watch Series 4 models in the United States, the app is designed to indicate whether your heart rhythm shows signs of atrial fibrillation, thanks to electrodes built into the back of the new Watch. In this week’s issue, we take a closer look at the new feature, explore the future of digital tech and our health, and reveal how the Apple Watch is already helping to save lives… REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY Whilst ECG technology certainly isn’t new, Apple brings it to everyday users on a device that they’re already using. Indeed, the Apple Watch is now the world’s most…

A survey says Americans today are more likely to get news from social media web sites than newspapers. The Pew Research Center said that 20 percent of Americans cited social media as a frequent news source, compared to 16 percent that credited newspapers. It’s the first time since Pew has found sites like Facebook and Twitter outpacing newspapers. Pew has been asking about news consumption, with a slight change in wording, since 1991. That year, 56 percent of Americans said newspapers when asked where they had gotten their news yesterday. The survey also found that 81 percent of people aged 65 and over often get news from television, compared to only 16 percent of people aged 18 to 29.…

Sam Paschel is the CEO of Zero Motorcycles Inc., a privately-held company based in Scotts Valley, California, that designs and makes electric motorcycles and powertrains, including fleet vehicles for police and the military. The company was started in 2006 by Neal Saiki, a former NASA engineer. The Q&A has been edited for clarity and length. Q: How has your industry changed over the last decade or so? A: Zero is driven by two separate dynamics: the trends in the electric vehicle space and those in the traditional motorcycle market. In the traditional motorcycle market, overall volume peaked most recently in 2007. After the financial collapse of 2008, the market has seen a slow and steady climb but still hasn’t returned to pre-recession levels. The electric vehicle market has seen explosive…

Online retailers are getting physical. A growing number of brands born on the internet are now opening brick-and-mortar stores and moving into the suburban malls once considered doomed as more Americans shopped online. But they’re taking it even further by doubling-down on the tactile experience. Online mattress retailer Casper, for instance, is opening stores that allow customers to book naps and test out mattresses before buying. Indochino — the online tailor — decided to borrow from the old Savile Row model where customers can be measured face-to-face for custom suits. “Online brands have embraced clicks-to-bricks,” said Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman’s retail division. “Shoppers love to touch, interact and try on in person and malls are upping the ante by offering immersive experiences that are exciting and…

China launched a ground-breaking mission last Saturday to land a spacecraft on the largely unexplored far side of the moon, demonstrating its growing ambitions as a space power to rival Russia, the European Union and the U.S. A Long March 3B rocket carrying a lunar probe blasted off at 2:23 a.m. from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province in southwestern China, the official Xinhua News Agency said. With its Chang’e 4 mission, China hopes to be the first country to make a soft landing, which is a landing of a spacecraft during which no serious damage is incurred. The moon’s far side is also known as the dark side because it faces away from Earth and remains comparatively unknown. It has a different composition than sites on the…

WHAT’S HAPPENING A top executive with Chinese electronics giant Huawei faces a bail hearing. The U.S. wants Canada to extradite Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies. She was detained Dec. 1 while changing planes in Vancouver. U.S. authorities allege Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company to evade U.S. trade curbs on Iran. China is pressuring both the U.S. and Canada over her arrest. Their ambassadors in Beijing were summoned by the Chinese government over the weekend, and an editorial in China’s Communist Party newspaper called her treatment “inhumane.” WHY HUAWEI? Huawei is the biggest global supplier of network gear for phone and internet companies. It has become the target of U.S. security concerns because of its ties to the Chinese government. The U.S. has pressured other…

Just a few years ago, retailers considered smartphones the enemy of the in-store experience they were trying to create. Customers often whipped out their device to compare prices online and then walked out of the store to buy the same product elsewhere. Today, stores are taking their cues from shoppers and now consider the smartphone their friend. They’re giving shoppers more control over the experience with smartphone app features that let customers do things like scan and pay, as well as download digital maps — and replicate the online experience. Nike created a buzz last month when it unveiled two new features on its mobile app during the opening of its latest high tech store in New York City. One feature lets shoppers see details of every item displayed on…

Both tender apologia and vigorous justification, Clint Eastwood’s “The Mule” is a deeply, fascinatingly personal meditation from the 88-year-old director who, like his aged drug mule protagonist, has spent a long time on the road. “The Mule” is the indefatigable Eastwood’s second film just this year, following “The 15:17 to Paris,” a distinctly undramatic dramatization of the thwarted 2015 train attack, starring the real-life heroes. Eastwood isn’t playing himself in “The Mule” — far from it — but it’s hard not to appreciate, and be moved by, the film’s many echoes for the filmmaker, acting for the first time in one of his own since 2008’s similarly self-reflective “Gran Torino.” That he finds such intimate dimensions in the story of Leo Sharp is a testament to both Eastwood’s knack for…

You might have heard of lights that turn off with an app or voice command. Or window shades that magically rise every morning. Technology companies are pushing the “smart home” hard, selling appliances and gadgets that offer internet-connected conveniences you didn’t know you needed. But before you succumb to the temptation — for yourself or others — consider that these devices might also give companies and hackers a key to your homes. Here’s how to get started on your smart home and what to worry about along the way. STARTING THAT SMART HOME A smart home can encompass features as simple as remote-controlled lamps and as sophisticated as thermostats that know when you’re home and turn up the heat automatically. Down the line, you may want to mix and match…

Biometric screening is expanding to the rental car industry. Hertz said this week it is teaming up with Clear, the maker of biometric screening kiosks found at many airports, in an effort to slash the time it takes to pick up a rental car. Clear hopes it will lead more travelers to its platform, which has 3 million members in the U.S. It’s the latest place consumers will find biometric technology, which has migrated over the last 50 years from secure government facilities and banks to airports, stadiums and even smartphones that unlock with the touch a fingerprint. Hertz is the first rental car company to use the technology. Improvements in cameras and other technology have made it cheaper to install scanners that can read fingerprints, faces, and irises. More…

Superheroes who travel by sea horse never get any respect. Since Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger first dreamed him up in 1941, Aquaman’s fate has largely been as the Rodney Dangerfield of DC Comics — a regular punchline for his not-so-potent powers. Sure, he can talk underwater and brandishes a big fork for weapon. But like Luca Brasi, he sleeps with the fishes. Yet Aquaman’s day has finally arrived. And if there was one inspired stroke behind the first solo movie for the Atlantis hero, it was in casting Jason Momoa in the Justice League role, one he begun in 2016’s “Batman v Superman.” It’s almost a dare: Try telling this guy your Aquaman jokes. In James Wan’s waterlogged, fitfully entertaining “Aquaman,” a heavy metal guitar riff blares at our…

Google is still having trouble protecting the personal information on its Plus service, prodding the company to accelerate its plans to shut down a little-used social network created to compete against Facebook. A privacy flaw that inadvertently exposed the names, email addresses, ages and other personal information of 52.5 million Google Plus users last month convinced Google to close the service in April instead of August, as previously announced. Google revealed the new closure date and its latest privacy lapse in a Monday blog post. It’s the second time in two months that Google has disclosed the existence of a problem that enabled unauthorized access to Plus profiles. In October, the company acknowledged finding a privacy flaw affecting 500,000 Plus users that it waited more than six months to disclose.…

The University of Hawaii at Hilo has been cleared to launch a four-year degree program in aeronautical science. The university’s board of regents approved last month the provisional Bachelor of Science in two new concentrations: Commercial professional pilot training and commercial aerial information technology, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported this week. The pilot training track would lead students to a commercial airline career, providing a pathway to earn all required Federal Aviation Administration licenses and certificates, according to university documents. The second track will focus on work with drones. The program would guide students in understanding how drones can be used, the type of sensors they have, and the kinds of data they collect and process, said Ken Hon, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs. The data collection and processing aspects…

Protesters disrupted a U.S. government event at United Nations climate talks this week, criticizing the Trump administration’s policy of backing the extraction of fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. About 100 people from groups representing indigenous peoples and youth stood up and chanted “Keep it in the ground” near the beginning of the American presentation. As cameras swarmed around them, some of the protesters explained the extraction of coal, oil and natural gas affects their communities. The U.S. event, titled “U.S. Innovative Technologies Spur Economic Dynamism,” took place on the sidelines of the ongoing U.N. meeting in Katowice, Poland. After several minutes, the activists left the room chanting “Shame on you.”Their actions mirrored a similar protest during a U.S.-hosted panel at last year’s U.N. climate talks in Bonn, Germany.…

China’s economy czar and U.S. trade envoys discussed plans for talks on a tariff battle, the government said this week, indicating that negotiations are going ahead despite tension over the arrest of a Chinese tech executive. Vice Premier Liu He talked by phone with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer about “the promotion of the next economic and trade consultations,”said a two-sentence Commerce Ministry statement. It gave no other details. Lighthizer’s office confirmed the phone call with Liu but provided no additional information. The announcement indicated that talks are on track despite China’s weekend threats of unspecified “grave consequences” if the Huawei Technologies Ltd. executive isn’t released. She was arrested in Canada on U.S. charges of possible violations of trade sanctions on Iran. Later Tuesday, President…