Month: October 2019

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson / Getty Images)

Not only is the problem of cars killing pedestrians not going away, the annual death toll over the last decade has actually increased by 35%. The proliferation of cars with automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems that detect pedestrians is therefore a good thing, right?

But according to a study by the American Automobile Association, maybe we shouldn't count on AEB. The association has just tested the pedestrian-detection behavior of four popular mid-sized model-year 2019 sedans—a Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Accord, Tesla Model 3, and Toyota Camry—in a variety of different scenarios. Unfortunately, the results are not promising, particularly when it comes to anything but the least challenging scenarios.

AEB and pedestrian detection are two features that fall under the growing category of stuff we call "ADAS"—advanced driver-assistance systems. ADAS is part of the same technological acceleration that's driving autonomous vehicle development, but here the goal is to work with a human driver to make them safer. Cameras, automotive radar, ultrasonic sensors, and even lidar inputs are used, on their own or together, so that a car can perceive the world around it and warn its human operator if various safety thresholds are crossed.

Enlarge / Big-time criminals have come to play in the ransomware game, taking down "big game" for big bucks. (credit: Wolfgang Kaehler / Getty Images)

The FBI has issued a public service announcement entitled "High Impact Ransomware Attacks Threaten US Businesses and Organizations." While the announcement doesn't provide any details of specific attacks, the Bureau warns in the announcement:

Ransomware attacks are becoming more targeted, sophisticated, and costly, even as the overall frequency of attacks remains consistent. Since early 2018, the incidence of broad, indiscriminant ransomware campaigns has sharply declined, but the losses from ransomware attacks have increased significantly, according to complaints received by IC3 [the Internet Crime Complaint Center] and FBI case information.

This pronouncement will come as no surprise to anyone who's followed the wide-ranging ransomware attacks against cities, counties, state agencies, and school districts over the course of 2019. While some of the most publicized attacks—such as the Baltimore City "RobbinHood" attack in May—have appeared to be opportunistic, many more have been more sophisticated and targeted. And these attacks are but the most visible part of an upsurge in digital crime seen by commercial information security firms thus far in 2019. In fact, sophisticated criminal attacks have nearly fully eclipsed state actors' activity—despite there not being any reduction in state-sponsored attacks.

Data from CrowdStrike has shown a rise in what the firm refers to as "big-game hunting" over the past 18 months. These attacks focus on high-value data or assets within organizations that are especially sensitive to downtime—so the motivation to pay a ransom is consequently very high.

Enlarge / The downloadable content page in the iOS Hulu app. (credit: Hulu)

For the first time, Hulu will allow users to download episodes for offline viewing. The feature is available today for iOS users who have subscribed to Hulu's ad-free on-demand tier.

Users will be able to download as many as 25 videos, on up to five unique devices. Unwatched downloads will remain available offline for 30 days. If users begin watching a video, it will only remain available for two days. But in either case, users will be able to renew the license by going online again, provided the episode or film has not left Hulu since they first downloaded it.

Hulu rivals Netflix and Amazon have long offered this feature, with similar terms for download limits and license renewals. Hulu may have faced a more difficult time rolling it out, not because of technical limitations or lack of will, but because the of the complexities surrounding content that is currently airing on broadcast networks, which is Hulu's primary focus. By contrast, most non-original Netflix and Amazon content is backlog content.

Enlarge / Cellphones charging in the Philippines at a station run by generator in 2013, while power was out in the wake of tyhpoon Haiyan. (credit: Jacob Maentz | Corbis via Getty Images)

Privacy, it seems, is increasingly a luxury reserved for those who can afford it. "Free" services are rarely free, and in the 21st century, the adage seems to be that if you aren't paying with your money, you're paying with your personal data. But while a user at the higher ends of the income scale can afford to be choosy with both their cash and their privacy, users of the cheap, mostly Android-based smartphones that dominate the market worldwide are bearing the burden.

Apple's iPhone might be the single most popular device line among US consumers, but the iPhone's high-end cachet comes with a matching price tag. Likewise, a premium flagship Android phone, such as a new Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy device, runs in the $500 to $1000 range.

Connectivity, however, is happily not limited to just the global wealthy. Billions of users in both developing and mature economies to whom the price tag puts a high-end phone out of reach still have access to lower-spec devices. Nearly all of the lower-end phones available worldwide run Android, giving Google's OS a greater than 80% market share globally.