Episode 267: Google - Conspiracy Fighter

Tech Talk Today

Google's got a solution to all those crazy conspiracy YouTube videos. There's just one major problem...

Plus Geek Squad's cozy relationship with the FBI, Intel's hardware fix for Spectre is closer than you thought, and what the hell is a Steve?

Then our Kickstarter of the week, big Jupiter Broadcasting news, and more.

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• Google to Weed Out Cryptocurrency Ads | Online Advertising | TechNewsWorld — The ban includes, but is not limited to, initial coin offerings, cryptocurrency exchanges, cryptocurrency wallets and cryptocurrency trading advice.
• YouTube didn’t tell Wikipedia about its plans for Wikipedia - The Verge — YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki announced that the platform would start adding information from Wikipedia to conspiracy-related videos within the next few weeks.
• Intel redesigned its 8th-gen processors to patch ‘Meltdown’ flaws — The changes will start with Xeon Scalable "Cascade Lake" processors and 8th-generation Core chips shipping in the second half of this year.
• Lyft is testing a Netflix-style monthly subscription plan - The Verge — Lyft is testing monthly subscription plans for high-frequency users, a sign that the company is shifting toward a Netflix or Spotify model for transportation.
• MoviePass Wants To Gather a Whole Lot of Data About Its Users — Lowe said that was possible because "we get an enormous amount of information. Since we mail you the card, we know your home address . . . we know the makeup of that household, the kids, the age groups, the income. It's all based on where you live. It's not that we ask that. You can extrapolate that. "Then," Lowe continued, "Because you are being tracked in your GPS by the phone . . . we watch how you drive from home to the movies. We watch where you go afterwards, and so we know the movies you watch. We know all about you. We don't sell that data. What we do is we use that data to market film."
• Amazon is testing a “brief mode” for Alexa that replaces verbal responses with beeps - The Verge — This seems to be the only difference with brief mode — using beeps instead of verbal cues to acknowledge successful commands — but it’s not hard to imagine how Amazon might expand its applications. (We’ve reached out to the company to find out and will update the story if they reply.)
• Geek Squad's Relationship with FBI Is Cozier Than We Thought — Some of these reports indicate that the FBI treated Geek Squad employees as informants, identifying them as “CHS,” which is shorthand for confidential human sources
• No, Space Did Not Permanently Alter 7 Percent of Scott Kelly's DNA - Slashdot — The mistake stems from an inaccurate interpretation of NASA's ongoing Twins Study. When Scott went to space in 2015, his identical twin Mark -- also a former NASA astronaut -- stayed on the ground. The idea was that Mark would serve as a control subject -- a nearly identical genetic copy that NASA could use to figure out how the space environment changed Scott's body. Some fascinating results have come out of the experiment. For one thing, Scott's gut bacteria changed significantly while he was in space. And yes, he did experience genetic changes. The protective caps on the ends of his DNA strands -- known as telomeres -- increased while in space. But space didn't permenantly alter 7 percent of his DNA. [...] NASA also confirmed this in a statement to The Verge: "Scott's DNA did not fundamentally change," a NASA spokesperson said. "What researchers did observe are changes in gene expression, which is how your body reacts to your environment. This likely is within the range for humans under stress, such as mountain climbing or SCUBA diving."
• Steve, a Famous Northern Light, Stays Mysterious (and Keeps His Name) - The New York Times — Now a research paper has shed light on what Steve actually is, and scientists have proposed a moniker: Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement.
• Deadwood 1876: A Safe-Robbing Game of Teamwork & Betrayal by Travis Hancock — Kickstarter — Work with your team to collect the most gold and then fight your teammates to the death to keep it all for yourself. 2-9 Players.