Month: May 2016

An illustration of Dataminr's data-mining of Twitter (credit: Dataminr)

In another sign that tensions between Silicon Valley and the US government are strong, Twitter is now barring US intel agencies from a service that analyzes the micro-blogging service's entire feed.

San Francisco-based Twitter has informed business partner Dataminr to cut off access to the CIA, NSA, and other government surveillance outfits. Twitter was concerned about the "optics" of appearing too cozy with the US intel community, The Wall Street Journal first reported Monday.

In a statement to Ars, Twitter downplayed the development. "Dataminr uses public Tweets to sell breaking news alerts to media organizations such as Dow Jones and government agencies such as the World Health Organization, for non-surveillance purposes," Twitter said. "We have never authorized Dataminr or any third party to sell data to a government or intelligence agency for surveillance purposes. This is a longstanding Twitter policy, not a new development."

The release of yet another bit of cosmetic DLC for one specific version of Minecraft isn't usually the kind of thing we'd take the time to write about at Ars. But the latest skin pack for the game caught our eye because it marks the first time that characters from Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. series have shown up in a game published by an ostensible console competitor: Microsoft, in this case.

The "Super Mario Mash-Up Pack" will launch as a free download exclusively for the Wii U version of the game on May 17 and come included on the retail disc when it launches on June 17 (the downloadable version launched on Wii U last December). It includes 40 Mario-themed skins, new world and item textures inspired by the Mario series, and 15 pieces of music from Super Mario 64.

Releasing special content specifically targeted at Wii U players may seem like an odd thing for Microsoft to do after the company spent $2.5 billion to acquire Minecraft maker Mojang back in 2014. At the time, though, Microsoft promised that the many existing versions of Minecraft on platforms like PlayStation systems, iOS, and Android wouldn't be affected by the purchase. The company has proved true to its word since then, releasing a Wii U version just a few months ago and even featuring Sony's LittleBigPlanet series in DLC for the PlayStation 4 version of the game last year.

Fires rage in Fort McMurray, Alberta, on May 1. (credit: jasonwoodhead23)

Right now, wildfires are raging in Canada, forcing the evacuation of Fort McMurray, the nation's largest northern city. More than 80,000 people have fled Fort McMurray as the rest of the world watched horrific videos of long lines of cars struggling through thick smoke while threatened by encroaching walls of fire. What we don't see in the video feeds is how emergency responders are using a range of technologies to contain the situation. But the core theme in emergency response isn’t having the latest tools or the coolest toy. It's about using what works for the greatest number of people, often on a shoestring budget.

NASA

Burn scars, smoke, and active fires in Fort McMurray, Alberta on May 5, 2016.

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Assessing the scene

When disaster strikes—fire, flood, storms, or quakes—first responders are dispatched to go places most people are fleeing. The locations of key infrastructure like fire hydrants are all mapped in advance, but instead of relying on bulky hardcopy binders from the Fire Marshall’s office, modern responders often check custom maps on their smartphones to see where to hook into local infrastructure or digital databases to identify hazards.

Even while firefighters charge into a burning building, someone on their team is hanging back to call in to disaster centers with an update on front-line conditions. A major part of effective disaster response is getting a verified assessment of the scene from a skilled professional, so the people responsible for making decisions can figure out what to do next. Today, a simple smartphone loaded with basic consumer apps like Periscope or Skype can show the office exactly what responders are facing.