Tag Archives: hacking

PTJ 347: Out With a Bang

December 22, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

As 2020 winds down to its final weeks, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the recent spate of bad news regarding national security, pandemic spread and video-game fails. But as depressing as the news can be, there’s new hope for 2021 — at least when it comes to decent Star Wars movies and shows. Punch up PTJ 347 and join us for the ride!

A huge THANK YOU to BROS for hosting us and all our faithful listeners for riding along with us here in the Q-Zone. We’ll be back in January, so Happy New Year!

• Russia’s Hacking Frenzy Is a R eckoning (WIRED)
• Trump Contradicts Pompeo Over Russia’s Role in H ack (The New York Times)
• The Great iPwn: Journalists Hacked with Suspected NSO Group iMessage ‘Zero-Click’ Exploit (Citizen Lab)
• A l Jazeera journalists ‘hacked v ia NSO Group spyware’ (BBC News)
• The Antitrust Case Against Big Tech, Shaped by Tech In dustry Exiles (The New York Times)
• Google’s Legal Peril Grows in Face of Third Antitrust Suit
(The New York Times)
• U.S. and States Say Facebook Illegally Crushed C ompetition
(The New York Times)
• Tim Cook tweeted about App Tracking Transparency and it’s easy to see the targ et (iMore)
• Facebook’s Laugha ble Campaign Against Apple Is Really Against Users and Small Businesses (Electronic Frontier Foundation)
• C OVID-19 closes n early 100 Apple Stores during holiday season peak (9to5Mac)
• Cyberpunk 2077 Was Supposed to Be the Biggest Video Game of the Year. What Happened? (The New York Times)
• A Complete Guide to Every Star Wars Show Coming to Disney+ (Esquire)
• ‘St ar Wars’ and Marvel’s Futures Now Flow Through Disney Plus (Variety)

Episode Links

PTJ 345: At Last

October 19, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer 2 Comments

What day is it? Does it matter? Time may be a flat circle that got hit by the Covid Truck for many people, but things have happened this month: Apple finally rolls out its four iPhone 12 models, Facebook finally bans Holocaust-denial content and and a House committee finally produces its report on Big Tech and monopoly. El Kaiser and J.D. muse upon it all, along with with a new set of headphones that gets the Rosado Review. Hear it all on PTJ 345!

• Six Russian GRU Officers Charged in Connection with Worldwide Deployment of Destructive Malware and Other Disruptive Actions in Cyberspace (United States Department of Justice)
• The Citizen Browser Project—Auditing the Algorithms of Disinformation (The Markup)
• Facebook says it rejected 2.2m ads for breaking political campaigning rules (The Guardian)
• Twitter, Responsibility, and Accountability (Stratechery by Ben Thompson)
• Apple Launches ‘Apple Music TV,’ a 24-Hour Music Video Livestream (Variety)
• Apple introduces iPhone 12 Pro an d iPhone 12 Pro Max with 5G (Apple Newsroom)
• Apple announces iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini: A new era for iPhone with 5G (Apple Newsroom)
• Apple introduces HomePod mini: A powerful smart speaker with amazing sound (Apple Newsroom)
• Removing Holocaust Denial Conten t (About Facebook)
• Why Facebook Can’t Fix Itse lf (The New Yorker)
• The new Nest Thermostat: more energy savings for more people (Google Nest)
• Amazon’s Latest Gimmicks Are Pushing the Limits of Privacy (WIRED)
• Amazon launches an AR app that works with new QR codes on its boxes (TechCrunch)
• The House Antitrust Report on Big Tech (The New York Times)
• Google’s merger with ITA helped it grow into the giant that the Justice Department is scrutinizing (The Washington Post)
• E U targets Big Tech with ‘hit list’ facing tougher rule s (Financial Times)
• Exclusive: TikTok rival Triller explores deal to go public – sources (Reuters)
• Disn ey reorganizes to focus on streaming, direct to consumer (CNBC)
• AKG K553 MKII Headphones

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 316: Jacked

August 31, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

As The Summer of 2019 winds down, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss (among other things) the buzz around Apple’s annual fall iPhone event, Twitter’s account security issue with one of its major users, Facebook’s latest attempts at transparency in political advertising and Amazon’s growing video-surveillance network. And, as nerds, we used to always run after the shiny new gadget to have the latest and greatest gear — but have we gotten over that particular fear of missing out? Spin up PTJ 316 to hear it all!

Twitter C.E.O. Jack Dorsey’s Account Hacked (The New York Times)
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker | D23 Special Look (StarWars.com | YouTube)
The Mandalorian: Official Trailer (Disney+ | YouTube)
Apple Invites Media to September 10 Event at Apple Park: ‘By Innovation Only’ (MacRumors)
Apple is turning Siri audio clip review off by default and bringing it in house (TechCrunch)
Improving Siri’s privacy protections (Apple)
Apple offers customers even more options for safe, reliable repairs (Apple)
Huawei plans high-end phone launch under cloud of Google ban (Reuters)
Google set to move Pixel production from China to Vietnam (9to5Google)
Doorbell-camera firm Ring has partnered with 400 police forces, extending surveillance concerns (Washington Post)
Working Together for Safer Neighborhoods: Introducing the Neighbors Active Law Enforcement Map (The Ring Blog)
Updates to Ads About Social Issues, Elections or Politics in the US (Facebook Newsroom)
Telltale Games is being revived (Polygon)
Telltale Games Press Release
The Joys of Being a Late Tech Adopter (The New York Times)

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint, Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 315: Rise Up

August 7, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Hoverboard travel is here! In experimental trips across the English Channel, anyway. El Kaiser and J.D. take off through the week’s headlines, including more accusations of retaliatory workplace culture at Google, the move toward “pay with your face” forms of authentication and requirements for getting one of those new Apple Cards. J.D. also hosts a (Hopefully) Helpful Hint about getting more of that notepad program on your smartphone. PTJ 315 awaits!

Terminating Service for 8Chan (Cloudflare)
Apple is spending more than ever on R&D to fulfill the ‘Steve Jobs Doctrine’ (Patently Apple)
Amazon Gives Option to Disable Human Review of Alexa Recordings (Bloomberg)
Our hardware sustainability commitments (Google)
Google Employee Alleges Discrimination Against Pregnant Women in Viral Memo (VICE)
Apple Card Customer Agreement goes live on Goldman Sachs’ website ahead of August launch, warns about jailbreaking (9to5Mac)
Apple Card customer agreement (Goldman Sachs)
Half of all Google Chrome extensions have fewer than 16 installs (ZDNet)
Streaming media player growth slows, smart TVs step up (nScreenMedia)
As China turns towards facial recognition payments, are QR codes on their way out? (South China Morning Post)
For Many Diabetes Patients, Skin Patches and Phones Are Replacing Finger Pricks (The Wall Street Journal)
Flyboarding Frenchman crosses English Channel (BBC News)

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint

Collecting Your Thoughts Is Good. Organizing Them Is Even Better. (The New York Times)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 313: Bye, Design

July 1, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this week’s episode. El Kaiser and JD discuss Jony Ive’s departure from his long-time design post at Apple, Facebook’s attempts at civil rights and the latest in cat-flap technology. And, after decades of living the 3.5mm life, El Kaiser also unboxes his very first set of Lightning-connector earbuds and tests them out. Have yourself a listen here on Episode 313!

Jony Ive ‘dispirited’ by Tim Cook’s lack of interest in product design: WSJ (The Verge)
Jony Ive made the entire tech world care about design (The Verge)
Why Jony Ive’s greatest achievement wasn’t the iPhone. It was the original iMac (Digital Trends)
Publishers Not Making Much Money From Apple News+ (MacRumors)
The Bixby Marketplace is Now Officially Open in the U.S. and Korea (Samsung Global Newsroom)
A Second Update on Our Civil Rights Audit (Facebook Newsroom)
Amazon Air is expanding to Alaska in a warning shot to UPS, FedEx (Business Insider)
The Huawei rollercoaster continues as Google gets a green light to license Android again (PCWorld)
Huawei may get its US supply chain back after Trump’s policy “U-turn” (CNN)
The Hidden Cost of GoFundMe Health Care (The New Yorker)
Former Equifax employee sentenced for insider trading (Department of Justice)
Cat flap uses AI to punish pet’s killer instincts (BBC News)
If Tom Brings Jerry Home, ML Locks the Cat Door (Synced)

Earbud Unboxing

RHA MA650i Earbuds with Lightning connector

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint, Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 312: Call the Law

June 24, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Big Government finally seems to be paying attention to Big Tech, but will anything actually change? El Kaiser and JD discuss some of the assorted bits of legislation aimed at regulating intrusive technology. And, in a (Hopefully) Helpful Hint, JD offers tips for whipping up your own letterhead in case you need to fire off an old-fashioned epistle by post or PDF. Episode 312 awaits!

Is Firefox better than Chrome? It comes down to privacy. (The Washington Post)
YouTube under federal investigation over allegations it violates children’s privacy (The Washington Post)
YouTube weighs changes to how it handles children’s content (CNN)
The Most Popular Kids’ Video Site in the World Isn’t for Kids (Bloomberg)
How 13 Became the Internet’s Age of Adulthood (WSJ)
Senators Markey and Hawley Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Update Children’s Online Privacy Rules (Sen. Ed Markey)
Exclusive: Mark Warner wants Google, Facebook to put a price on your data (Axios)
Senate Bill 748
House Bill 946
Robocalls prompt bipartisan push in Congress (The Washington Post)
Robocalls are overwhelming hospitals and patients, threatening a new kind of health crisis (The Washington Post)
Coming in 2020: Calibra (Facebook Newsroom)
Facebook announces Libra cryptocurrency: All you need to know (TechCrunch)
Libra, Facebook’s new cryptocurrency, isn’t likely to make it far (Axios)
NASA hacked because of unauthorized Raspberry Pi connected to its network (ZDNet)
Raspberry Pi 4 on sale now from $35 (Raspberry Pi)
Google was never really serious about tablets (The Verge)
Walmart and Amazon want to see inside your house. Should you let them? (Los Angeles Times)
What Happens After Amazon’s Domination Is Complete? Its Bookstore Offers Clues (The New York Times)
Helping kids learn to evaluate what they see online (Google blog)

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint

Get More From Your Letters With Custom Stationery for Print or Pixels (The New York Times)

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint, Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 309: Vaporized

May 20, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Game of Thrones may be over on HBO, but El Kaiser and J.D are still here talking tech, pop culture and everything else in between. This week’s episode ponders the blacklist effect on Chinese telecom company Huawei and potential problems with accurate weather forecasting because satellites measure water vapor in the 23.8 GHz band on the wireless spectrum and the Federal Communications Commission is selling off adjacent frequencies. J.D. also has a suggestion for parents who need a project for their bored kids. All this and more, right here on Episode 309!

Links to News Stories on This Week’s Episode

Exclusive: Google suspends some business with Huawei after Trump blacklist (Reuters)
Trump Huawei Ban Ripples Across Industry as Supplies Halted (Bloomberg)
Snapchat’s new gender-changing filter provokes strong reactions (Axios)
Kissing Babies, Loving Scrapple, Fighting Viral Hoaxes: ’20 Race’s New Routine (The New York Times)
Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 drops to $999 and adds Qualcomm’s XR1 (VentureBeat)
Microsoft’s Edge for Mac browser now available in preview (The Verge)
Your 5G Phone Won’t Hurt You. But Russia Wants You to Think Otherwise. (The New York Times)
5G Networks Could Throw Weather Forecasting Into Chaos (WIRED)
Twitch Streamers Are Getting Paid $50,000 An Hour To Play New Games: They Deserve It (Forbes)
Tim Cook visits Ellis Marsalis Music Center in New Orleans (9to5Mac)

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint: Give Your Kids A Movie-Making Project

How to Add Hollywood Special Effects to Your Videos (The New York Times)

Episode Links, Podcast

Episode 308: Separation Anxiety

May 10, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

El Kaiser and JD finally got out of Avengers: Endgame and are back in the recording bunker to discuss recent tech news – including Google’s I/O conference and a former Facebook founder’s call for the government to bust up his former company. JD also explores the new movement that have some people spending less time staring at their smartphones screens. Episode 308 awaits!

Links to Stories In This Week’s News Segment

The 8 biggest announcements from the Google I/O 2019 keynote (The Verge)
I/O 2019: New features to help you develop, release, and grow your business on Google Play (Android Developers Blog)
Facebook talked privacy, Google actually built it (TechCrunch)
Google’s YouTube Music Tops 15 Million Subscribers (Bloomberg)
The 5 biggest announcements from Facebook’s F8 developer conference keynote (The Verge)
It’s Time to Break Up Facebook (The New York Times)
Video game ‘loot boxes’ would be outlawed in many games under forthcoming federal bill (The Washington Post)
FTC Members Unanimously Press Congress for Tough National Privacy Protections (Gizmodo)
Member of Sophisticated China-Based Hacking Group Indicted for Series of Computer Intrusions, Including 2015 Data Breach of Health Insurer Anthem Inc. Affecting Over 78 Million People (Department of Justice)
Tenants win as settlement orders landlords give physical keys over smart locks (CNET)
Los Angeles Uber drivers join cities across the U.S. in strike ahead of much-anticipated IPO (The Los Angeles Times)
Windows Hello FIDO2 certification gets you closer to passwordless (Microsoft Tech Community)
Jeff Bezos unveils Moon lander concept (BBC News)
Avengers: Endgame adds the Spider-Man trailer as a post-credits scene (Polygon)

Break Up Phone (For A While, Anyway)

Do Not Disturb: How I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain (The New York Times)
Use Screen Time on Your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch (Apple Support)
Digital Wellbeing (Google)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 307: Winging It

April 27, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the current legal heat on Facebook over data privacy and misuse of its customer’s personal information. Google’s delivery drone program and Samsung’s woes with its Galaxy Fold smartphone are also in the mix. And, on the heels of Avengers: Endgame taking over cineplex screens, PTJ 307 looks down the list of other geekworthy movies headed to theaters this summer.

Links to News Stories on This Week’s Show

Facebook Expects to Be Fined Up to $5 Billion by F.T.C. Over Privacy Issues (The New York Times)
Facebook’s role in Brexit — and the threat to democracy (Carole Cadwalladr TED Talk)
New York Attorney General to Investigate Facebook Email Collection (The New York Times)
Regulators Around the World Are Circling Facebook (The New York Times)
Tim Cook calls for regulation of tech industry with serious issues (9to5Mac)
Google Employees Say They Faced Retaliation After Organizing Walkout (The New York Times)
How Nest, designed to keep intruders out of people’s homes, effectively allowed hackers to get in (The Washington Post)
Google Drone Delivery Gets First FAA Clearance (Bloomberg)
Wing becomes first certified Air Carrier for drones in the US (Medium)
Wing (Google X)
Samsung Galaxy Fold launch delayed by breaks (CNBC)
Samsung Galaxy Fold teardown (iFixit)
EU votes to create gigantic biometrics database (ZDNet)
Russian Twitter bot activity increased in the wake Mueller report release (Cyberdefense magazine)
Twitter Q1 flies past estimates with sales of $787M and EPS of $0.25, but MAUs drop to 330M (TechCrunch)
Scooters hacked to play rude messages to riders (BBC)

Geek Summer Movie Preview 2019

Summer Movie Calendar 2019(Rotten Tomatoes)
The Most Anticipated Movies of Summer 2019 (Esquire)
iTunes Movie Trailers (Apple)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 303: Fire in the Troll Hole!

March 11, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Can Big Tech get busted up and does Facebook’s pivot to privacy seem legit? El Kaiser and J.D. roll through the recent news, stopping to ponder the “Save the Internet” Act, a slew of new streaming channels and the success of Captain Marvel at the box office — despite concentrated efforts from certain quarters to drag down the film’s ratings. It’s all here on PTJ 303, where we also have our annual guide to helping your friends and family avoid tax-season scams this spring.

Links to News Stories on This Week’s Show

Here’s how we can break up Big Tech (Elizabeth Warren on Medium)
Elizabeth Warren vows to break up tech giants if elected in 2020 (BBC News)
A Privacy-Focused Vision for Social Networking (Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook)
Facebook says the future is private messaging, not public posts (Columbia Journalism Review)
This could be the beginning of the end for Facebook’s social network (Recode)
The False Promise of Mark Zuckerberg’s Come-to-Jesus Manifesto (Vanity Fair)
Combatting Vaccine Misinformation (Facebook Newsroom)
Facebook sues Ukrainian quiz-makers for stealing user data with malware plugins (The Verge)
SXSW Festival
Sunshine Week
The US Government Will Be Scanning Your Face At 20 Top Airports, Documents Show (BuzzFeed News)
In New York City? Grab a BuzzFeed print newspaper, today only (Nieman Lab)
Bicameral Democratic Leaders Unveil Save The Internet Act To Restore Net Neutrality Protections (House Committee on Energy & Commerce)
Text of the “Save the Internet” Act (House Committee on Energy & Commerce)
“I’m Just a Bill” (Schoolhouse Rock)
Democrats unveil “Save The Internet Act” to restore net neutrality laws (NBC News)
Colorado Senate passes bill to reinstate net neutrality regulations (Colorado Watchdog)
Disney’s new streaming service will offer entire Disney Vault of classic films (Fast Company)
NBC News Readies May Launch of Streaming-Video Service (Variety)
Comedy Central Launches YouTube Originals Channel (Variety)
Crew Dragon Splashes Down in Atlantic Ending First Commercial Crew Mission (NASA)
Trolls Are Tanking Captain Marvel’s Rotten Tomatoes Reviews. But They Can’t Stop Its Box Office Haul (Fortune)
Box Office: “Captain Marvel” Flies to Historic $153M in U.S., $455M Globally (The Hollywood Reporter)

Be On Guard This Tax Season

IRS Dirty Dozen 2019 (Internal Revenue Service)
Tax Scams / Consumer Alerts (Internal Revenue Service)
How to know it’s really the IRS calling or knocking on your door (Internal Revenue Service)
IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting (Treasury.gov)
Automated calls requesting tax payments in the form of iTunes or other gift cards (Internal Revenue Service)

The independent audio magazine devoted to mashing up pop culture, technology and more. J.D. Biersdorfer and Pedro Rafael Rosado are your hosts. It's an Internet Radio revolution!