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US entrepreneur Elon Musk has outlined his vision for a tunnel network under Los Angeles and shown how it might work. Mr Musk also told the Ted (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference he planned fully autonomous journeys across the US by the end of the year. He spoke about how he wanted solar-powered roof tiles to be standard on "every home" within 50 years. And he explained why he is committed to sending a rocket to Mars. In a wide-ranging conversation with Ted curator Chris Anderson, the founder of Tesla and Space X said that he was inspired to consider a tunnel system to alleviate congestion because he found being stuck in traffic "soul-destroying". He showed off a concept video of how the multi-layered tunnel system might work. Cars would stop on a trolley-like device and the ground would open up to carry them below. Cars would then drive off the platform and another would get on to be returned above ground. He said that his vision was to have "no limits" to the amount of tunnels, but to find ways to cut the cost of boring and to speed up how quickly such tunnels could be created. "We have a pet snail called Gary, and Gary is capable of moving 14 times faster than a tunnel boring machine - so the ambition is to beat Gary," he said. The firm he set up to oversee the project - The Boring Company - took up less than 3% of his time, he said, and it was run by interns and part-timers. "It is pottering along." Susan Beardslee, a senior analyst at ABI Research, said the project sounded like a "moonshot". "He has shown his ability to be a visionary, and I believe he can take tunnelling and apply the financial capital and technical expertise, but this is not a go-it-alone project. "He is addressing the need to look at congestion - but it will have to be a public/private partnership," she said. "Musk is good at coming up with a very different way of looking at things, and this might work better somewhere where it can be purpose-built rather than retro-fitted." Mr Musk is rarely out of the headlines these days - recently notching up another landmark for his Space X business when it launched a recycled rocket as well as starting a new firm - NeuraLink - that would aim to augment the human brain with computer technology. His semi-autonomous Tesla car fleet has been under scrutiny since a fatal crash in May 2016, but Mr Musk showed no signs of slowing down his ambitions for the firm. He promised a "fully autonomous" journey across the US "by the end of the year". rom a parking lot in California, cross-country to New York or from Seattle to Florida, these cars should be able to go anywhere on the highway system," he said. He also revealed that he had test-driven the semi-autonomous electric truck Tesla plans to unveil in September, saying it was "so nimble". "You will drive it around like a sports car," he said. "In a tug-of-war between a Tesla semi and a diesel semi, the Tesla would pull the diesel uphill." Ted curator Chris Anderson asked Mr Musk why he had so many diverse interests - on Earth and in Space. "The value of Tesla is to accelerate the inevitable use of sustainable energy and if it accelerates that by a decade, then that would be a fundamental aspiration," said Mr Musk. But, he added, the advancement of space technology was not inevitable and would only happen if someone worked hard to make it a reality. "It is important to have an inspiring future and if it doesn't include being out there among the stars, that is incredibly depressing. "I am not trying to be anyone's saviour. "I just want to think about the future and not feel sad." Source+ video: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39741094
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Law authorities have warned they believe criminals are using Android phones to trigger fraudulent tap-and-go payments. The alert comes in Europol's annual Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment report. Experts had previously said that the rollout of smart wallet systems could raise such a threat. However, the police are unsure exactly how the attacks are being carried out and how common they are. "The possibility of compromising NFC [near field communication] transactions was explored by academia years ago, and it appears that fraudsters have finally made progress in the area," the report says. "Several vendors in the dark net offer software that uploads compromised card data on to Android phones in order to make payments at any stores accepting NFC payments." The report's authors add that one consequence of the novel crime is that shops might not know how to react even if they detect the deceit. "Currently, when merchants detect a fraudulent transaction, they are requested to seize the card," the report says. "However, the confiscation may not be feasible when the compromised card data are recorded on the buyer's smartphone." he report concludes that smartphone and touchless payment terminal manufacturers should "take action to design out security flaws". Anecdotal evidenceEuropol is the EU's law enforcement agency, which helps members states' police forces co-ordinate operations and intelligence. Its report is intended to flag emerging cybercrime threats. One of the body's advisers acknowledged that investigators were still unclear whether the payments were triggered being by customised apps or via Google's own Android Pay software. "It's anecdotal evidence at the moment - it could be either or both," said Prof Alan Woodward, from Surrey University. "But whatever the case, evidence that it is happening is mounting." Prof Woodward said the criminals were probably using Android handsets rather than iPhones because Google did not prevent third-party apps using a device's NFC chip, but Apple did. "Apple systems are locked down, but you can typically write code to get at NFC, wi-fi and Bluetooth on Android-based devices," he said. "It's just easier to write things on there if what you are doing is pretending to be a contactless card or otherwise sending communications to a contactless payment terminal." Prof Woodward added that the threat did not mean people should stop using Android Pay, but rather that all members of the public should remain vigilant against unusual transactions. A spokeswoman for Google was unable to comment. Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37495102
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t's time to brush up on your photo editing skills. Instagram is rolling out a feature that will let people get a closer, more intimate look at your pictures. Appropriately called Zoom, the new addition will let people zoom in on photos and videos in their feeds.The move is a welcomed one for avid Instagram users; one that feels intuitive for those used to zooming in on mobile photos. Up until now, photos posted on Instagram have stayed in their static squares. The only way to inspect pictures was to take a screenshot of an Instagram post and zoom in outside of the photo-sharing platform. "Finally my mom's stalking dreams have come true! I don't have to worry about her double tapping friends ancient grams anymore," tweeted one woman."I can FINALLY stop *accidentally* liking awkward photos in my misguided attempts to zoom in on Insta," tweeted another.The feature rolls out on Wednesday to iOS users and will arrive on Android devices in the coming weeks. The news comes on the heels of a series of updates intended to make the app stickier for users. The company recently introduced Instagram Stories earlier this month, a clone of Snapchat Stories that lets people post photos and video to a stream that disappears after 24 hours.Other changes to Instagram over the past year include freshening up its logo and rolling out Boomberang, a short video feature that loops videos forwards then backwards. Source: http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/31/technology/instagram-adds-zoom/index.html
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Matt Damon is apparently a lot less fun to look at in 3D A 3D version of the latest Bourne movie made exclusively for Chinese cinemas has caused local audiences to complain about headaches and nausea. The format remains hugely popular in the country, particularly when it comes to action movies.But the conversion process required to give the 2D-shot film an extra dimension seems to have been ill-judged in this case. Why has China got a 3D Bourne?Cinemas usually charge more for movies screened in three dimensions, so there's an obvious incentive to show them in the format.But while Europe and the US have seen ticket sales for 3D movies decline, there's still a strong appetite for the technology in China.Many theatres in the country are fairly new and have equipped themselves with the latest projectors. When it comes to 3D movies, however, there are two kinds."Real" 3D movies are shot with a dual-lens cameras, which capture two versions of every shot. Special glasses let viewers see a different one with each eye. Many critics believe this delivers the best illusion of depth.But another, cheaper option is to film in 2D and then simulate the effect in post production by using computers. Matt Damon and his wife in actual 3D for fans to enjoy at the release party While this can work well for some movies, it does not for others, with Jason Bourne being a case in point.Its director Paul Greengrass shot several sequences using a handheld camera and then made rapid cuts to create a fast-paced, hectic edit.It appears that converting this into 3D has made the film hard to watch, and has caused audiences to feel nauseous. Why not watch in 2D?Normally, Chinese cinemas offer audiences a choice. But in the case of Matt Damon's new movie, the vast majority opted only to show it in 3D in its opening week.Out of 149 cinemas in Beijing, only eight are currently showing the 2D version, according to local media.In Shanghai, it's said to be only nine out of 174.Movie-goers have complained about this on social media, with some claiming it's an attempt to force them to pay premium prices. Following the backlash, Universal Picture says it now aims to add more 2D screenings. Until then, though, China's Bourne fans may have to brace themselves for a rough ride. Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37212239
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t A French security researcher says he managed to turn the tables on a cyber-scammer by sending him malware. Technical support scams try to convince people to buy expensive software to fix imaginary problems. But Ivan Kwiatkowski played along with the scheme until he was asked to send credit card details. He instead sent an attachment containing ransomware. He told the BBC he wanted to waste the man's time to make the scheme unprofitable. Technical support scams are designed to scare people into buying useless and sometimes harmful software. Scammers send out emails, create fake websites or place advertisements online, falsely warning people that their computers have been infected with viruses. They encourage victims to contact "technical support" via a supplied telephone number or email address. "In most cases, the scammer's objective is to convince you that your machine is infected and sell you a snake-oil security product," Mr Kwiatkowski told the BBC. When Mr Kwiatkowski's parents stumbled across one such website, he decided to telephone the company and pretend he had been fooled. The "assistant" on the telephone tried to bamboozle him with technical jargon and encouraged him to buy a "tech protection subscription" costing 300 euros (£260). Mr Kwiatkowski told the assistant that he could not see his credit card details clearly and offered to send a photograph of the information. But he instead sent a copy of Locky ransomware disguised as a compressed photograph, which the assistant said he had opened. "He says nothing for a short while, and then... 'I tried opening your photo, nothing happens.' I do my best not to burst out laughing," Mr Kwiatkowski wrote in his blog. Tips for avoiding scareware Be suspicious of messages on web pages that tell you your device has been infected by viruses or has other problems Be suspicious of advertisements that masquerade as system messages Avoid clicking on links and attachments in emails from unknown senders Contact your device or operating system manufacturer directly for advice Timewaster "I respond to email scam attempts most of the time, but this was the first time I responded to one over the telephone," Mr Kwiatkowski told the BBC. "I'm curious about how criminals operate and what they're trying to accomplish. "More often than not it ends up being fun and there's social utility in wasting their time. I believe that if more people respond and waste their time, their activities might not be profitable enough to continue." Mr Kwiatkowski said he could not be absolutely certain whether the ransomware had infected the scammer's computer, but there was a fair chance it had. "He did not let on that something had happened to his computer, so my attempt is best represented as an unconfirmed kill," said Mr Kwiatkowski. "But encrypting a whole file system does take some time." He acknowledged that some people may have found his retaliation unethical, but said responses had been "mostly positive". "People respond well to the story because this is such a David versus the Goliath setting," he said. However, Professor Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey warned that "hacking back" could have consequences, "There's a lot of talk around hacking back - and while it may be very tempting, I think it should be avoided to stay on the right side of the law. "But wasting their time on the phone I have no problem with. I even do that myself!" Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37084009
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Image copyrightAFPImage captionThe problem affects many millions of cars, according to researchers A sizeable proportion of 100 million Volkswagen Group cars sold since 1995 can be unlocked remotely by hackers, a team of researchers has said. The problem affects a range of vehicles manufactured between 1995 and 2016 - including VWs and models from the company's Audi, Seat and Skoda brands. A homemade radio costing about £30 is the only hardware an attacker requires. Volkswagen said it was working with the researchers and added that several new vehicles were unaffected by the issue. Two separate attacks affecting different models are described in a paper by researchers from the University of Birmingham and German security firm Kasper & Oswald. With the second method, an older cryptographic scheme in some other brands was found to have a similar, albeit more complex vulnerability. The team showed it was possible for a malicious hacker to spy on key fob signals to target cars via a cheap, homemade radio. 'Cryptographic catastrophe'By cloning the digital keys, the researchers found they could then unlock a variety of VW Group vehicles. This was possible because they were able to reverse-engineer the keyless entry system in the affected models - a process which yielded some master cryptographic keys. Prior to publishing their research, the team behind the paper agreed with Volkswagen that some key pieces of information - including the value of the master cryptographic keys - would not be made public. "We were kind of shocked," Timo Kasper at Kasper & Oswald told the BBC. "Millions of keys using the same secrets - from a cryptography point of view, that's a catastrophe." Image copyrightAFPImage captionVolkswagen produces around 10 million cars every yearMr Kasper said that after the researchers alerted Volkswagen to the problem in November 2015, they set up some meetings to help the car maker understand the vulnerability. "We had very fruitful discussions - there was a very good atmosphere," he said. However, there are "at least ten more, very widespread" hacking schemes affecting various other car brands that Kasper & Oswald is still waiting to publish, following appropriate disclosure to the companies involved, Mr Kasper added. 'Constructive exchange'A spokesman for Volkswagen said several current-generation vehicles, including the Golf, Tiguan, Touran and Passat were not affected by the problem. "The responsible department at Volkswagen Group is in contact with the academics mentioned and a constructive exchange is taking place," he told the BBC. The spokesman added that starting the car's engine with this attack was "not possible". Security expert Ken Munro at Pen Test Partners said critical components of the attack had been omitted from the published paper. "You'd need some academic-level knowledge of cryptography to be able to do this," he added. Image copyrightAFPImage captionVolkswagen says some of its newest models are unaffected by the problemHowever, he also said the research was the latest in a string of similar findings that showed how many on-board systems in modern cars were vulnerable to hacking. "Manufacturers are doing the right thing now, but you've got this huge problem with the installed base, those cars will last maybe 10 years - the fix is not simple," he told the BBC. "You're potentially replacing all the control units in all the vehicles out there." Mr Munro added that it might be possible to prevent the reverse-engineering approach taken by the researchers in order to prevent the discovery of the crucial cryptographic keys. The paper will be presented later today at the Usenix cybersecurity conference in Austin, Texas. Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37057689
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(CNN)If you're looking to catch Pokemon in Thailand, don't get your hopes up. Only days after "Pokemon Go" made its long-awaited debut in the country, the nation's temples, schools and the Royal Palace grounds were declared off limits thanks to Thailand's telecoms regulator. Thakorn Tanthasith, the secretary general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC), said late Tuesday it will be asking Niantic, the company that developed "Pokemon Go," to help keep Pokemon away from four "no-go" zones: government property, religious places, private buildings and dangerous areas like roads and canals. Thakorn also said mobile companies have backed a suggestion that people not be allowed to play after dark in order to avoid accidents. Smartphone zombies The augmented reality game is available in nearly 70 countries and uses smartphone cameras to superimpose Pokemon in real world settings. The app has brought thousands of people outside, roaming around neighborhoods while fixated on their screens -- and not on their surroundings -- on a quest to capture the creatures. However, the level of distraction among pedestrians playing the game is becoming a cause for concern. Taiwan's National Freeway Bureau requested Wednesday Niantic make game-play off limits on the country's highways, motorways and rest stops. More than 1,200 Taiwanese players received traffic fines in the first three days of the game's launch. Most were caught playing the game while riding their motorcycles, Taiwan's official Central News Agency reported. Taiwan's Railways Administration has also banned people from playing the game in its stations, trains and railway tracks. Japanese authorities issued guidelines to coincide with the game's launch in that country last month, asking players not to walk while playing on train platforms, reminding them to be careful of heat stroke and to carry extra batteries. Brunei's Transport Department also urged Pokemon players to put safety first. The evolution of the Pokemon franchise in 90 seconds. 01:28 And the dangers go beyond traffic and trains: A non-governmental agency in Bosnia warned players to beware of landmines while trying to catch Pokemon, and two men in California ignored warning signs and fell off a cliff when playing the game. Unwelcome visitors While "Pokemon Go" may be getting more people outside to visit places they normally wouldn't, some don't appreciate where their guests are playing the game. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Cambodia banned people from playing the game there Wednesday, according to local media. Taiwan's National Palace Museum has also declared its exhibition halls off limits for "Pokemon Go." Those bans follow appeals last month from both Arlington National Cemetery and the Holocaust Museum in the Washington area for players not to go looking for Pokemon on their sites. The Baroda Museum in the Indian state of Gujarat is also prohibiting "Pokemon Go" players from entering its premises. The curator told CNN that players disturbed other visitors by bumping into them. He also said it was a safety issue, because there are poisonous snakes that wander the museum's outdoor areas. "Pokemon Go" responded after concerns were raised and set up a link for people to report sensitive locations on its website. Fatwas issued Islamic leaders in India and Malaysia have issued fatwas, or religious rulings, against "Pokemon Go." Mufti Mohammed Saleem Noori from the Dargah Aala Hazrat religious institution in India's Uttar Pradesh state told CNN the game is addictive and will make people go into places like temples, mosques, churches and even high security zones without a second thought -- because they're too fixated on catching Pokemon. Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development says the game can be harmful, because it may lead players to intrude on the personal space of others, give rise to carelessness which may cause accidents, cause people to have angry outbursts if they lose and make some addicted to their smart devices. Source + video's: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/11/asia/pokemon-go-dangers-bans/index.html -
Serious security flaws that could give attackers complete access to a phone's data have been found in software used on tens of millions of Android devices. The bugs were uncovered by Checkpoint researchers looking at software running on chipsets made by US firm Qualcomm. Qualcomm processors are found in about 900 million Android phones, the company said. However, there is no evidence of the vulnerabilities currently being used in attacks by cyberthieves. "I'm pretty sure you will see these vulnerabilities being used in the next three to four months," said Michael Shaulov, head of mobility product management at Checkpoint. "It's always a race as to who finds the bug first, whether it's the good guys or the bad." Affected devices included: BlackBerry Priv Blackphone 1 and Blackphone 2 Google Nexus 5X, Nexus 6 and Nexus 6P HTC One, HTC M9 and HTC 10 LG G4, LG G5, and LG V10 New Moto X by Motorola OnePlus One, OnePlus 2 and OnePlus 3 US versions of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung S7 Edge Sony Xperia Z Ultra Mr Shaulov said six months of work to reverse engineer Qualcomm's code revealed the problems. The flaws were found in software that handles graphics and in code that controls communication between different processes running inside a phone. Exploiting the bugs would allow an attacker to gradually be able to take more control over a device and gain access to its data. Image copyrightAPImage captionThe flaws could be used to make booby-trapped apps that steadily gain access to a phone's dataCheckpoint handed information about the bugs and proof of concept code to Qualcomm earlier this year. In response, Qualcomm is believed to have created patches for the bugs and started to use the fixed versions in its factories. It has also distributed the patches to phone makers and operators. However, it is not clear how many of those companies have issued updates to customers' phones. Checkpoint has created a free app called QuadRooter Scanner that can be used to check if a phone is vulnerable to any of the bugs, by looking to see if the patches for them have been downloaded and installed. In addition, Mr Shaulov said Android owners should only download apps from the official Google Play store to avoid falling victim to malicious programs. "People should call whoever sold them their phone, their operator or the manufacturer, and beg them for the patches," said Mr Shaulov. Qualcomm has yet to respond to a request for comment. Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37005226
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We usually think of cyborgs as part human, part machine, but roboticists don't limit themselves that way. Researchers have developed a hybrid robot built with body parts from a novel source: sea slugs. The new robot combines a Y-shaped muscle from the mouth of a California sea hare (Aplysia californica) with a 3D-printed skeleton. Researchers surgically removed the so-called "I2" muscle from the mouths of sea slugs and glued them to flexible, 3D-printed plastic frames. When the muscles were subjected to an external electric field, the resulting contractions produced a deliberate clawing motion that was able to move the tiny robot up to 0.2 inches (0.5 centimeters) per minute. [The 6 Strangest Robots Ever Created] The robot was modeled after the way sea turtles crawl, because the researchers wanted to create something that could move with only one Y-shaped muscle, study lead author Victoria Webster, a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, told Live Science in an email. But, it should be possible to apply similar techniques to create more complex robots with different movement styles, such as the inchworm-inspired version that the team is working on now, she added. With a few more developments, the scientists said, teams of robots could be deployed for tasks such as searching for toxic underwater leaks or finding an airplane's "black box" flight data recorder after it has crashed into the ocean. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpYJ59zorvg And one day, the designers would also like to make entirely biological robots by replacing the plastic parts of the new hybrid bot with organic material. "We're building a living machine — a biohybrid robot that's not completely organic — yet," Webster said in a statement. Sea slugs live in a wide range of temperatures and conditions, so their muscles can function in myriad environments. This natural versatility is key to developing biological machines that are capable of operating in different environments. "By using the sea hare as our material source, we have obtained materials which are more robust than the cells which have been used in the past," Webster said. The team is now experimenting with including the ganglia, or nervous tissue, that controls the I2 muscle. "They respond to direct chemical stimulation or to stimulation of the sensory system nerves," Webster said. "By stimulating the nerves, we may be able to steer the robot in the future." The scientists also developed a method to mold collagen gel from the sea slugs' skin into "scaffolding" for completely organic machines. These nonhybrid robots would be inexpensive, nonpolluting and biodegradable, the scientists said, enabling them to release many robots without having to worry if some of them are lost. "Our hope is to continue developing these devices to include organic controllers, sensors and skeletons," Webster said. The study's findings were published online July 12 in the journal Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems. Original article on Live Science. Source: http://www.livescience.com/55474-sea-slug-biohybrid-robot.html
