no more 'blog' puns (for now)

Tech Links for April.4.2019

• Facebook data for half a billion users clumsily leaked (LINK). And (no surprise) Facebook & Amazon are pointing fingers at each other for the leak (LINK).
• Nvidia fixes 8 high-severity flaws in their firmware (LINK).
• Health care's huge cybersecurity problem (LINK).
• Amazon planning to launch thousands of satellites to provide worldwide broadband internet connectivity (LINK). 
• Another stark reminder that you do not own digital media you've purchased; Microsoft is closing an ebook store - deleting all the books you bought (LINK).
• Microsoft explains the weird 'Thsi test notification' that popped up in the Windows News app (LINK).
• Samsung has officially started mass production of 5G chips (LINK).
• The next Windows 10 cumulative update will get an extra month of beta testing before public release (LINK).
• Serious Apache server bug gives 'root' access to attacker in a shared host environment (LINK).
• Google Duplex is now available for most Android phones - and iPhone (LINK).
• Intel's new data center-level products include a processor with 56 cores & 112 threads - and 100Gb ethernet cards (LINK).

Fun / Silly / Curious

• A 'smart' fishing reel that messages your phone when you get a bite (LINK).
• A short, well-made, intriguing video about quantum computing; Inside Google & NASA's Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab (LINK).
• BMW will continue using their awesome V12 until (at least) 2023 (LINK).

GLothW Music Club
Hugh Masakela's would have been 80 years old today. In his honor, let's go 'Grazing in the Grass' (LINK).

♪♫ You ain't nothin' but a hound blog...

Tech Links for March.29.2019

• Are drones a cybersecurity risk? They can be (LINK).
• 'Operation Shadowhammer': Dropping back-doors into PCs with ASUS firmware updates (LINK).
• A new batch of critical Cisco patches - and more on the way for a couple of their small business routers (LINK).
• The WinRAR zero day bug is still being exploited in *big* ways (LINK).
• Office Depot rigged malware scans to sell more tech support (LINK).
• Researchers discover and abuse an undocumented new Intel chipset feature (LINK).
• Security breach at Toyota for the second time in five weeks (LINK).
• Former NSA contractor hoarded more than 50TB of sensitive data in his home! (LINK).
• FCC 'fined' robocallers $208 million since 2015 - but has only collected $6,790 (LINK).
• Security researcher pleads guilty to hacking into Microsoft & Nintendo (LINK).
• Some apps in the Google Play store were actually government-backed malware (LINK).

Fun / Curious / Silly

• Ski-Doo has a new 850cc/200HP ride that can do 0-60mph in 3 seconds - on snow! (LINK).
• It's Lamborghini wheelie time! (LINK).
• Though Don Rickles passed away in 2017, he will still voice Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 4 (LINK).
• The mystery of Garfield Phone Beach has been solved (LINK).  

GLotW Music Club

• The original version of 'Hound Dog', by Big Mama Thornton (LINK).

♫♪ See the blog and butterfly...

Tech Links for March.20.2019
 a little earlier this week, to make up for last week's day late  ;)

• Fourth major credential spill in a month hits. This time, includes ~26M user names / passwords (LINK).
• It is important to note that all of the compromised user/pass combos (so far) have been (a) unencrypted or using old encryption AND/OR (b) easy-to-break passwords. Laziness continues to give predictable results.
• Google gives users more choice with location-tracking apps (LINK).
• U.S. building a $500M 'exascale' computer that will be the world's most powerful (LINK).
• Threat actors leveraging credential dumps, phishing, and legacy email protocols to breach cloud accounts (LINK). 
• A huge asteroid exploded above Earth - and you totally missed it. For the record, so did I (LINK).
• Lenovo patches Intel firmware flaws in multiple product lines (LINK).
• Firefox silences annoying auto-playing videos (LINK).
• If you're one of the few that use the 'Inbox by GMail' app, get ready to join the rest of us outside of that app - 'cause it's officially going away on April 2nd (LINK).
• Note: Your email is fine. GMail will still work - only the app is going away. Save your panic for something else.
• Netflix will not integrate with Apple's new TV service (LINK).
• Why you should consider changing your default search engine (LINK).
• Google unveils its new gaming platform, 'Stadia'. A possible competitor to Xbox, PlayStation & PC gaming (LINK).

Fun / Silly / Curious

• Spring is almost here! (LINK).
• Wednesday night will be your last chance to see a supermoon this year - and it's gonna be special (LINK).
• A drug that makes human blood deadly to mosquitoes could drastically reduce the spread of disease (LINK).
• A recently-discovered shipwreck on the Nile proves Herodotus was telling the truth about Egyptian boats (LINK).
• Silly and cruel beauty gadgets that were destined for failure (LINK).

♫♪ Who let the blogs out?

Tech Links for Mar.14.2019

• When you plan poorly, you get what you deserve; The outage at Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp might have been caused by poor project rollout (LINK)
• Apple's iCloud is battling downtime also (LINK)
• GlitchPOS malware appears to steal credit-card numbers (LINK)
• Cisco patches critical 'default password' bug (LINK)
• The next update of Windows 10 (1903) might automatically remove 'broken' updates (LINK).
• Purveyor of cracked Netflix, Hulu, Spotify accounts has been arrested (LINK)
• Who's the legal 'driver' of a self-driving car? (LINK)
• Retired Air Force pilot & commercial flight instructor gives his input on the 737 Max. If you think he's gonna defend the pilots, think again... (LINK)
• Intel's Windows 10 graphics drivers riddled with flaws (LINK).

Fun / Silly / Curious

• Happy Pi Day! (LINK)
• ... and here are some deals you can get today (LINK)
• 'Abandonware' (the web site) allows you to download PC retro games for free! (LINK)
• You can now buy a new Bugatti for only $34,000. Sadly, its horsepower is limited to a whopping 13.4 (LINK).

♪♫ Just an old-fashioned blog post…

Tech Links for Mar.7.2019

• Google Chrome has a serious security problem - update now (LINK).
• Ransomware warning: The gang behind 'GandCrab' are at it again - and their aiming for bigger targets / more money (LINK).
• NSA releases GHIDRA, an open-source tool for reverse-engineering software (LINK).
• The makers of Gorilla Glass are working on fold-able actual glass (LINK).
• Why is 'ji32k7au4a83' a remarkably common password? (LINK).
• Welding glass to metal is now possible (LINK).
• Samsung patents wireless TV with no power cable (LINK).
• A password-free web may be in the future (LINK).
• Microsoft's Windows 10 Insider Program (beta testing) Status: 'Slow Ring' now has April 2019 update - while the 'Fast Ring' has the October 2019 update (LINK).
• USB4 is coming, and it will change USB in big ways (LINK).

Curious / Fun / Silly

• Koenigsegg debuts the world's first street legal 300MPH car! (LINK).
• VW's dune buggy is an electric shot of nostalgia (LINK).
• The Leica Q2 camera has a 47-megapixel camera, and a $5000 price tag (LINK).
• The first all-female team spacewalk will happen later this month (LINK).
• People have been complaining about download times for eons (LINK).

Insert witty title here...

Tech Links for Feb.27.2019

• How to spot fake photos online (LINK).
• TorPEDO privacy attacks on 4G/5G networks affects all U.S. carriers (LINK).
• SEPAR malware plucks hundreds of companies' credentials in ongoing phish (LINK).
• Porn-based malware attacks tripled over the last year. The dark web is loving it (LINK).
• 19 year-old WinRAR flaw affects as many as 500 million users (LINK).
• 1TB microSD cards are now a thing (LINK).
• Ring doorbell flaw opens device to spying (LINK).
• Third times a charm! Cisco patches a Webex high severity flaw again (LINK).
• The dark side of modern cars: Hacking & data collection (LINK).
• Your Apple computer is vulnerable to attack if the USB-C port is in Thunderbolt mode (essentially, every one of them made since 2011) (LINK).
• Could a hacker capsize a ship at sea? Yes - and it wouldn't be difficult (LINK).
• Do you have ransomware-encrypted files? NoMoreRansom.org is here to help (NOTE: Be very, very careful with the files here. Let me know if you have questions) (LINK).

Fun / Silly / Curious

• Researchers figured out that zebra stripes confuse biting flies. Yes, they dressed horses in costumes to test this (LINK).
• In Australia, emoji license plates are a real thing now because... well, I don't know why (LINK). 
• Microsoft Kinect is still alive - and it's not for gaming anymore (LINK).
• Electric off-road skateboard has a top speed of 45MPH! (LINK).
• The launch of the Israeli lunar lander may herald a wave of private missions to the moon (LINK).

Tech Links for Feb.20.2019

• No more security updates for Windows 7 (or Win Server 2008) without SHA-2 (LINK).
• ATM jackpotting malware hones its heist tools (LINK). 
• How to turn off the microphone on your Google Nest devices (LINK).
• Don't be fooled by fake images & videos online (LINK).
• Russia's 'Fancy Bear' is likely working to influence EU elections (LINK).
• Once hailed as 'unhackable', blockchains are now getting hacked (LINK).
• A large American trucking company has a new, tech-heavy training program (LINK).
• Your Nike self-lacing "smart shoes" might have shipped with outdated software, making them impossible to pair with updated Android devices. If this happens, you're wearing dumb shoes (LINK).
• Live from the Samsung S10 Unpacked event. Will we finally see the folding smartphone in action? (LINK).

Cool / Fun / Silly

• Is Harley-Davidson really gonna release an electric ride? Apparently so... (LINK). 
• Arrested Development will continue on Netflix. More episodes begin streaming March 15th (LINK).
• You're not going to believe what I'm about to tell you. Read/scroll all the way through (LINK).