Month: October 2021

Lilbits: Raspberry Pi + LEGOS, Alibaba open sources its RISC-V chips, Mac Pro could have 40-core CPU and 128-core graphics

Raspberry Pi’s latest device is an add-on that lets you use a Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi Zero, or Raspberry Pi 400 as the brains of a LEGO robot. Alibaba has unveiled a high-performance 128-core server chip based on ARM technology… but the company has also announced it’s open sourcing the technology behind its low-power […]

The post Lilbits: Raspberry Pi + LEGOS, Alibaba open sources its RISC-V chips, Mac Pro could have 40-core CPU and 128-core graphics appeared first on Liliputing.

Raspberry Pi’s latest device is an add-on that lets you use a Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi Zero, or Raspberry Pi 400 as the brains of a LEGO robot. Alibaba has unveiled a high-performance 128-core server chip based on ARM technology… but the company has also announced it’s open sourcing the technology behind its low-power Xuantie chips based on RISC-V architecture. And if you thought the new Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max chips used in the 2021 MacBook Pro laptops are powerful, just wait until you see what Apple’s got in store for its next-gen Mac Pro laptop.

Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.

Meet the Raspberry Pi Build HAT: create with Raspberry Pi and LEGO® Education [Raspberry Pi]

The Raspberry Pi Build HAT is a $25 add-on that lets you use Raspberry Pi computers as the brains for LEGO robots, with support for controlling LEGO Technica motors and sensors. A new 48W power supply is also available for $15 since motors are power hungry.

Alibaba Cloud Unveils New Server Chips to Optimize Cloud Computing Services [press release]

Alibaba introduces Yitian 710 server chips with up to 128 Armv9 CPU cores. The company also plans to open source the code for its XuanTie RISC-V processors cores as well a Linux, Android, RTOS, and AliOS software stacks for those chips. It looks like source code and documentation for E902, C906, and C910 are already on GitHub.

Windows 11 Windfall for ThinkBook and ThinkPad E Series [press release]

Lenovo ThinkBook and ThinkPad E series laptops now ship with Windows 11 pre-installed. Starting prices range from $549 to $939 depending on the model, and Lenovo will offer tips for downgrading to Win10 Pro on some models for folks that want to do that.

Lenovo ThinkPad E14

The upcoming Mac Pro will have even more powerful versions of Apple’s M1 chips [@markgurman]

Apple isn’t stopping with 10-core CPUs and 32-core graphics. The upcoming Mac Pro desktop is expected to crank up the power with up to 40 CPU cores and 128 GPU cores.

Inkplate 10 low-power, programmable E Ink display is now in stock [Crowd Supply

After raising over $120,000 through a crowdfunding campaign, the InkPlate 10 is now available for general sale for $139 and up.

Tolino Vision 6 eReader announced [MobileRead]

The Tolino Vision 6 eReader is based on the same design as the Kobo Libra 2, but has a 1.8 Ghz Allwinner B300 quad-core processor, 16GB of storage, and Android 8.1-based software

Keep up on the latest headlines by following Liliputing on Twitter and Facebook and follow @LinuxSmartphone on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news on open source mobile phones.

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It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity that grounded Boeing’s Starliner

NASA negotiating with SpaceX for additional crew missions to space station.

The Boeing Starliner spacecraft to be flown on Orbital Flight Test-2 is seen at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 2, 2021.

Enlarge / The Boeing Starliner spacecraft to be flown on Orbital Flight Test-2 is seen at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 2, 2021. (credit: NASA)

NASA and Boeing officials said Tuesday that they have successfully removed two valves from the Starliner spacecraft and have shipped them to Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama for further analysis.

The forensic examination—the two valves will be inspected with a variety of techniques, including a CT scan—is part of Boeing's ongoing effort to diagnose the "stuck" valve issue that caused an abort of Starliner's uncrewed test flight on August 3. With less than five hours remaining in the countdown to launch, during a routine procedure, 13 of the 24 valves that control the flow of dinitrogen tetroxide oxidizer through the service module of the spacecraft would not cycle between closed and open.

An initial diagnostic effort at the launch pad yielded no results, so the Atlas V rocket and spacecraft were rolled back to an integration facility. After more inspection and testing there, engineers decided to "de-stack" the spacecraft and return it to Boeing's spacecraft processing building at Kennedy Space Center. This eventually led to further dissection of the vehicle and removal of several valves.

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Tod eines opportunistischen Killers

Colin Powell war nicht der größte Lügner der Regierung Bush Juniors. Bei der Durchsetzung des Angriffskriegs auf den Irak vor knapp zwei Jahrzehnten spielte er aber eine Schlüsselrolle.

Colin Powell war nicht der größte Lügner der Regierung Bush Juniors. Bei der Durchsetzung des Angriffskriegs auf den Irak vor knapp zwei Jahrzehnten spielte er aber eine Schlüsselrolle.

X-ray analysis reveals hidden composition under iconic portrait of the Lavoisiers

Painting was likely altered to appease growing French anti-aristocratic sentiment.

X-ray analysis reveals hidden composition under iconic portrait of the Lavoisiers

Enlarge

The French 18th-century chemist Antoine Lavoisier is a complicated historical figure. Scientifically, of course, he is an undisputed giant, helping usher in the chemical revolution as the field shifted from a qualitative to a quantitative approach, among many other achievements. He was also a wealthy nobleman and tax collector for the Ferme Generale, one of the most hated bodies of the Ancien regime as the French Revolution gained momentum. Those activities added to his fortune, which he used to fund his (and others') scientific research and to foster public education. But it's also why he ran afoul of the revolutionaries in power during the infamous Reign of Terror; they beheaded both Lavoisier and his father-in-law on the same day in 1794 as "enemies of the people."

Something of that complexity is evident in a new scientific analysis of the famous 1788 portrait, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, of Lavoisier and his wife, Marie-Anne, by the Neoclassical painter Jaques-Louis David. The painting shows husband and wife posing with a collection of small scientific instruments—a tribute to their intellectual endeavors.

But cutting-edge analysis techniques have revealed that David originally painted a different version, without the scientific accoutrements, depicting the couple as more typical French aristocrats. He cleverly obscured the underpainting in the final portrait, most likely in response to the growing backlash against the aristocracy, according to a recent paper published in the journal Heritage Science. As the authors wrote in an accompanying online article for the Met:

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Domain Name Registries Dismiss Hollywood’s Piracy Critique

The Motion Picture Association has labeled several domain name registries as “notorious markets” that indirectly facilitate piracy. Speaking with TorrentFreak, the .IS and .TO registries dismiss these allegations, while stressing that they adhere to the law.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

pirate flagsLast week, Hollywood’s Motion Picture Association (MPA) shared its annual overview of “notorious markets” with the US Trade Representative (USTR).

This list typically includes examples of pirate sites and services. However, it goes further than that, as third-party intermediaries are called out as well.

Notorious Domain Registries?

This year, the MPA included five registries connected to the .CH, .IS, .RU, .TO and.TV domains. These organizations manage and oversee the respective TLDs. While registries are neutral service providers, rightsholders believe that they can take a more active anti-piracy approach.

“A registry, directly or via its contractual relationship with its registrars, has the ability to withdraw or disable domain names used by websites engaged in massive copyright infringement,” MPA wrote.

With the nomination for the USTR’s annual list of notorious markets, these organizations risk becoming targeted by diplomatic pressure. However, the registries themselves see things quite differently.

TONIC

The Tonga Network Information Center (TONIC), responsible for the .TO TLD, is one of the affected organizations. The MPA specifically mentioned sites such as rarbg.to, fmovies.to, kinox.to, serienstream.to, 1337x.to, torrentgalaxy.to, solarmovie.to, ibit.to, and bs.to which use the TLD.

Speaking with TorrentFreak, TONIC stresses that the organization has no obligation to respond to random complaints from third-parties. TONIC points to statements made by the EFF in the past, which also warned that taking domains offline without due process can damage free speech.

This doesn’t mean that TONIC takes no action at all. The registry informs us that it has complied with many court orders in the past, some of which resulted in domain name suspensions.

“The .TO registry complies with court orders from courts of competent jurisdiction, including US courts, and has on many occasions taken down domain names in compliance with court orders,” TONIC’s Eric Gullichsen says.

ISNIC

MPA’s submission also includes Iceland’s registry ISNIC. According to the Hollywood group, pirate sites and services regularly use .IS domains and it accuses the registry of being unresponsive to law enforcement requests.

“Examples of infringing websites operating with .IS domains include filmlinks4u.is, watch32.is, soap2day.is, torrentz2.is, and moviewatcher.is. ISNIC does not generally respond to international or local law enforcement requests,” MPA wrote.

ISNIC CEO Jens P. Jensen categorically denies the latter accusation, stating that it’s “plainly wrong.” ISNIC does respond to local court orders and it also accepts third-party abuse complaints.

“ISNIC does respond to genuine, well-written and informative abusive reports coming from private parties and from Law Enforcement,” Jensen informs TorrentFreak.

“Our job is then to identify, and in some cases provide the reporter with the real name and address of the registrant so that he or she can be held accountable,” he adds.

registry

As a relatively small player, Iceland’s registry says that it goes above and beyond what other registries do. Jensen says that this includes some large players “which MPA decides not to mention as they might kick back heavily.”

ISNIC handles abuse complaints from outsiders through a ‘bad registration process’ which verifies the identity of a domain owner. If a registrant can’t back up or correct the registration within one to two weeks, the domain is suspended.

This policy and ISNIC’s other procedures are in line with the new .IS domain law that was published by the Parliament of Iceland earlier this year.

The commentary from TONIC and ISNIC show that both registries disagree with MPA’s characterizations. Both clearly reject the “notorious market” label and hope that the US Trade Representative will recognize that they don’t act in bad faith.

This isn’t the first time that registrars and registries are nominated as “notorious markets.” The MPA called out many of the same organizations last year, but those were not included in USTR’s final notorious markets report.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Android 12 is now available (for some devices)

Earlier this month Google released the source code for Android 12, but the company didn’t start pushing an Android 12 update to phones… until today. Now you can install Android 12 on Pixel 3 or later smartphones by opening your system settings and checking for updates, or by waiting until you see a notification letting […]

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Earlier this month Google released the source code for Android 12, but the company didn’t start pushing an Android 12 update to phones… until today.

Now you can install Android 12 on Pixel 3 or later smartphones by opening your system settings and checking for updates, or by waiting until you see a notification letting you know that the software update is available for your phone. Google says Android 12 will begin rolling out to phones from Samsung, OnePlus, and other device makers later this year.

Android 12 brings a number of big changes to Google’s mobile operating system. The most noticeable may be the move to Google’s new “Material You” design, which changes the look of the notifications, quick settings, lock screen, volume and power sliders and toggles, and more.

It’s also highly customizable, allowing you to change the accent colors of your theme using key colors drawn from your phone’s wallpaper. Google notes that the dynamic color features will be Pixel-exclusive at launch, but they should roll out to third-party devices eventually.

Key widgets have also been redesigned, there are new accessibility features including a window magnifier for zooming in on part of the screen and an “extra dim” lighting option for more comfortable viewing at night. You can also flip a switch so that all text is shown in a bold font or switch to grayscale mode.

Another major change is the way Google handles privacy features. You’ll see a notification in the status bar any time an app is using your device’s mic or camera, for example. Or you can block apps from using them using toggles in the Quick Settings. You can also choose whether apps that request your location get precise or approximate location data. And there’s a new privacy dashboard that lets you see which apps have accessed your location, camera, or mic in the past 24 hours, helping you decide which apps to block.

Android 12 will also automatically remove permissions and delete cached files from apps you haven’t used in a while.

Other new features include support for scrolling screenshots, support for sharing WiFi passwords via Nearby Share, and the ability to start playing games while they’re still downloading from the Play Store. You can also quickly change the size of picture-in-picture video windows with a double-tap.

There’s also a Universal Search feature in the app drawer search bar that lets you search for everything on your device including apps, settings, and contacts from one place. And if the thing you’re searching for isn’t on your phone, you can search for it on Google with the tap of a button.

Universal Search

If you have a Pixel 3, 4, or 5 series smartphone and don’t see an update option on your device, you can also download factory images or OTA images from Google to perform a manual update.

Google says Android 12 will also be coming to devices from Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Tecno, Vivo, and Xiaomi “and more” in the coming months.

via Google (1)(2)

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The new MacBook Pro seems to have an HDMI 2.0 port, not 2.1

120 Hz 4K monitors aren’t the norm today, but they probably will be later.

Farthest right: The HDMI port on the MacBook Pro.

Enlarge / Farthest right: The HDMI port on the MacBook Pro. (credit: Lee Hutchinson)

The newly announced 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models have HDMI ports, but they have a limitation that could be frustrating for many users over the long term, according to Apple's specs page for both machines and as noted by Paul Haddad on Twitter.

The page says the HDMI port has "support for one display with up to 4K resolution at 60 Hz." That means users with 4K displays at 120 Hz (or less likely, 8K displays at 60 Hz) won't be able to tap the full capability of those displays through this port. It implies limited throughput associated with an HDMI 2.0 port instead of the most recent HDMI 2.1 standard, though there are other possible explanations for the limitation besides the port itself, and we don't yet know which best describes the situation.

There aren't many monitors and TVs that do 4K at 120 frames per second, and those that do are expensive. But they do exist, and they're only going to get more common. In fact, it seems a safe bet that after a few years, 4K@120 Hz may become the industry standard.

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Daily Deals (10-19-2021)

Dell is selling an XPS 13 thin and light laptop with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 Tiger Lake processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $700. Lenovo has a Yoga 6 13″ convertible with an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor on sale for $575. And Walmart and Best Buy are both selling some low-cost […]

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Dell is selling an XPS 13 thin and light laptop with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 Tiger Lake processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $700. Lenovo has a Yoga 6 13″ convertible with an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor on sale for $575. And Walmart and Best Buy are both selling some low-cost Chromebooks for even lower prices than usual.

Dell XPS 13 9305

Here are some of the day’s best deals.

Chromebooks

Windows laptops

Tablets, eReaders & smartphones

Wireless headphones & earbuds

USB hubs & docks

Other

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Shipping times for Apple’s $19 Polishing Cloth slip to late November

Delays may drive people to buy inferior third-party polishing products.

If you wanted to polish your Apple products, bad news: you'll need to wait at least a month to get Apple's Polishing Cloth.

Enlarge / If you wanted to polish your Apple products, bad news: you'll need to wait at least a month to get Apple's Polishing Cloth. (credit: Apple)

Between ongoing supply chain issues, chip shortages, and pent-up demand, Apple's new MacBook Pros were always going to be hard to get. They've been up for preorder for less than 24 hours, and if you order one now, you probably won't get it before November or December.

But the new laptops aren't Apple's only in-demand product: the shipping times for Apple's $19 microfiber Polishing Cloth have also already slipped back into mid to late November. Unfortunately, this means that your compatible iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and iPods will need to remain unpolished for at least a month. It's unclear whether the delays are being caused by low supply, overwhelming demand, or some combination of both.

The Polishing Cloth, folded over in a visually appealing manner. Without testing, we can't say whether the Apple logo is cosmetic or if it meaningfully improves the polishing experience.

The Polishing Cloth, folded over in a visually appealing manner. Without testing, we can't say whether the Apple logo is cosmetic or if it meaningfully improves the polishing experience. (credit: Apple)

The Polishing Cloth boasts support for an impressive range of Apple products, which Apple lists out in detail on the Cloth's product page. The list includes iPhones as old as 2014's iPhone 6, every generation of Apple Watch, and even the old iPod nano and iPod shuffle. Without testing, however, we can't confirm whether the Polishing Cloth will adequately polish older unsupported devices or non-Apple gadgets like Android phones or the Nintendo Switch.

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