Month: November 2021

Disney Seeks Analyst to Spot the Latest Online Piracy Trends

Disney plans to add fresh blood to its anti-piracy team. The movie giant wants to hire an analyst who will be tasked with investigating the latest piracy trends, helping out with enforcement efforts, and evaluating new anti-piracy tools and services. A dream position for those who aspire to a career in the anti-piracy workforce.

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

depp-bloom-searchingOnline piracy remains the single largest threat for Hollywood’s movie studios.

Most companies have entire departments dedicated to spotting infringing content, understanding the changing landscape, and figuring out how to respond.

This is also true for Disney, which has a long track record when it comes to anti-piracy enforcement. With the launch of Disney+ a few years ago, the need for in-house piracy experts has only increased.

Disney Seeks Piracy Analyst

A few days ago the entertainment giant posted a new job opening through which it plans to strengthen its anti-piracy team. In a new job listing, Disney is looking for a Digital Media Antipiracy Analyst, who will help to understand and tackle the latest online piracy trends.

“This position will be part of a team that is responsible for providing antipiracy services with a focus on combating online piracy,” the job opening reads.

“Duties of this position include supporting enforcement of films, television shows and live events, researching piracy technologies, websites, and apps, tracking piracy data, providing regular reports on piracy trends, evaluating prospective providers of antipiracy services and managing existing providers,” Disney adds.

Monitoring the Piracy Landscape

One of the primary responsibilities of this position is to analyze and write regular reports on the piracy ecosystem. This includes monitoring the latest piracy technologies, websites, and apps.

These reports will help Disney and its clients to get a better understanding of looming threats and how to combat these with enforcement efforts.

disney job

In addition to researching piracy trends, the job also involved more hands-on anti-piracy work. This includes the use of monitoring services and enforcement tools to assist in anti-piracy operations.

Evaluating External Anti-Piracy Partners

Finally, the prospective anti-piracy specialist will also help to seek out external anti-piracy partners and monitor their performance. That likely includes the various DMCA takedown services Disney uses.

“Assist in the evaluation and implementation of new antipiracy vendor programs, and provide day-to-day supervision to efforts of current antipiracy vendors if applicable,” Disney writes.

Prospective candidates will need a bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience. In addition, a solid understanding of the online piracy landscape, including streaming sites, is also welcome.

It’s not publicly known how many people are working at Disney’s anti-piracy team, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the team has expanded quite a bit over the years. And with the company’s exclusive Disney+ releases, which are widely pirated, anti-piracy efforts are probably more important than ever.

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

In a first, scientists captured growth of butterfly wings inside chrysalis on video

MIT team replaced part of a pupa’s cuticle with a glass window for experiments.

Close-up photograph of gorgeous butterfly.

Enlarge / A painted lady butterfly lands on a flower. The bright iridescent colors in its wings don't come from pigment molecules but from how the wings are structured. Chitin scales essentially form a diffraction grating tuned to specific wavelengths of light. (credit: Mark Rightmire / Getty Images)

One of the best-known poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins opens with a tribute to the phenomenon of iridescence. It's represented by the colorful wings of kingfishers and dragonflies in Hopkins' poem, but iridescence can also be found in the wings of cicadas and butterflies, in certain species of beetle, and in the brightly colored feathers of male peacocks. Now, a team of researchers at MIT have captured on video the unique structural growth of butterfly wings—continuously, as a butterfly develops inside its chrysalis—for the very first time. The researchers described their findings in a new paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

As I've written previously, the bright iridescent colors in butterfly wings don't come from any pigment molecules but from how the wings are structured. It's a naturally occurring example of what physicists call photonic crystals. The scales of chitin (a polysaccharide common to insects) are arranged like roof tiles. Essentially, they form a diffraction grating, except photonic crystals only produce certain colors, or wavelengths, of light, while a diffraction grating will produce the entire spectrum, much like a prism.

Also known as photonic bandgap materials, photonic crystals are "tunable," which means they are precisely ordered in such a way as to block certain wavelengths of light while letting others through. Alter the structure by changing the size of the tiles, and the crystals become sensitive to a different wavelength. (In fact, the rainbow weevil can control both the size of its scales and how much chitin is used to fine-tune those colors as needed.)

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HP Chromebook x2 review: A price cut away from great

Chrome OS in a sensible form factor.

HP Chromebook x2 11-inch two-in-one.

Enlarge / HP Chromebook x2 11-inch two-in-one.

For tech enthusiasts, Chromebooks can be an acquired taste. Advanced users don’t need a stripped-down operating system, and the low computing power generally disqualifies Chromebooks from being a serious, primary PC. But Chromebooks can often find a welcome spot in an enthusiast's home as a secondary or (after the phone) tertiary device. And when that Chromebook comes in a detachable form factor with a screen that's slightly larger than most competitors, it fits that role well.

The HP Chromebook x2 two-in-one makes a play for this space with an 11-inch display that offers more screen area than rivals like the 10.1-inch Lenovo Chromebook Duet, the 10.5-inch Microsoft Surface Go 3, or even similarly priced iPads. HP's portable, bendable (and did we mention blue?) Chromebook is ripe for travel and less intensive tasks.

Specs at a glance: HP Chromebook x2
Worst Best As reviewed
Screen 11-inch 2160×1440 IPS touchscreen
OS Chrome OS
CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Compute Platform
RAM 4GB LPDDR4x-2133 8GB LPDDR4x-2133
Storage 64GB eMMC 128GB eMMC 64GB eMMC
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 618 (integrated)
Networking Qualcomm Atheros 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2x2) Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5
Ports 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Type-C), 1x microSD card reader
Size 9.9×7×0.3 inches (252.5×176.8×7.6 mm)
Weight With keyboard and kickstand: 1.2 lb; Tablet only: 1 lb
Battery 32 Wh
Warranty 1 year
Price (MSRP) $570 $680 $600
Other perks HP Rechargeable USI Pen 4G LTE HP Rechargeable USI Pen

Despite an MSRP of $600-$680, depending on the configuration, I've seen the HP Chromebook x2 at more appropriate sale prices of $370, $400, or $480. Considering its level of power, its touchpad that demands a hard surface, and a keyboard cover that feels like a temporary solution, you'll want to wait for that discount.

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Liliputing liked this message: Google Messages is starting to display iMessage reactions as emoji

The first time I was texting with a friend and got a message informing me that they “liked” my message, I was wondering if Facebook had somehow invaded SMS. The second time I realized that this is what happens when someone with an Android phone (me) is in a text exchange with someone using iMessage […]

The post Liliputing liked this message: Google Messages is starting to display iMessage reactions as emoji appeared first on Liliputing.

The first time I was texting with a friend and got a message informing me that they “liked” my message, I was wondering if Facebook had somehow invaded SMS. The second time I realized that this is what happens when someone with an Android phone (me) is in a text exchange with someone using iMessage on an iPhone (like my friend was).

While I’m no longer confused, it can be a little messy when your text messages are littered with text responses for what were meant to be simple reactions. Soon that may be a thing of the past… for some Android users anyway. An update to Google Message is starting to roll out which can translate iMessage reactions to RCS emoji.

@jvolkman via 9to5Google

As spotted recently by 9to5Google, the code for the latest beta version of the Google Messages app includes the ability to classify reaction messages sent from iOS devices and then show them as emoji on an Android device.

Some users have started to see this in action on their devices, and @jvolkman sent 9to5Google some screenshots showing that likes, loves, and dislikes were all translated into emoji that were applied to the incoming messages rather than shown as separate messages.

If an iMessage user changes the reaction, that change should also be reflected in the Google Messages app. And tapping on a message will bring up a notification letting you know that the reaction has been “translated from iPhone.”

Of course, this will only help Android users who are using the Google Messages app for SMS. Some Android phone makers like Samsung have their own default SMS apps, although most phones will allow you to switch to Google Messages or another text messaging app.

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Daily Deals (11-22-2021)

Black Friday isn’t until… well, Friday. But a whole bunch of Black Friday deals are already live, making today as good as any day (like Friday) to save money on laptops, tablets, wireless earbuds, or other gadgets. Don’t want a gadget… or anything that costs money at all? Paramount+ is offering a free 1-month subscription […]

The post Daily Deals (11-22-2021) appeared first on Liliputing.

Black Friday isn’t until… well, Friday. But a whole bunch of Black Friday deals are already live, making today as good as any day (like Friday) to save money on laptops, tablets, wireless earbuds, or other gadgets.

Don’t want a gadget… or anything that costs money at all? Paramount+ is offering a free 1-month subscription when you sign up by November 29th using the code “PEAKSALE”.

Paramount+ free for 1 month with coupon: PEAKSALE

That should give you plenty of time to binge a deep library Star Trek shows… although your subscription will end before the current season of Star Trek: Discovery, so I suspect Paramount is hoping you’ll get hooked on a show or two an keep your subscription active after the first month. If you do, you’ll have the choice of paying $10 per month for ad-free service or $5 for an ad-supported tier.

Here are some of the day’s best deals.

Laptops

Convertibles

Tablets

Mini PCs

Wireless headphones

Wireless earbuds

Other

Make sure to check out Liliputing’s Black Friday 2021 Mobile Tech Deals page for more deals.

The post Daily Deals (11-22-2021) appeared first on Liliputing.

Google Messages update translates iMessage responses for Android users

Update cuts down on the disruptive blocks of text generated by Apple’s Tapbacks.

Google Messages update translates iMessage responses for Android users

Enlarge (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

Putting aside the lack of end-to-end encryption support, one of the most annoying things for Apple iPhone users about communicating with Android users via SMS are all the iOS features that get lost in translation. Having a visual effect translated to a deadpan "(sent with Balloons)" ruins whatever impact you intended the effect to have, and it clutters up your message history with extraneous text.

On that second front, Apple’s Tapback feature is especially annoying. When using iMessage, this short list of half a dozen reactions is a handy way to signal acknowledgement or enjoyment, or just to bump a message thread to the top of someone’s list. On Android phones, each individual Tapback generates an entirely new block of text with a text description of the reaction and the entire original text. As a fallback option for non-smartphones or an accessibility feature, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But it can quickly make SMS group-text threads chaotic and unreadable for Android users.

A new update to the Google Messages app, which was spotted over the weekend by 9to5Google and appears to be rolling out to some Android users now, fixes that issue by translating Tapback responses into emoji responses. Android devices using the Messages app have been able to send each other emoji responses for over a year now, but this is Google’s first attempt to map Apple’s response mechanism to its own.

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Holmes’ parents seeded Theranos, connected her with powerful investors

Without money and status, Holmes’ dream may have never gotten off the ground.

Theranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes, left, walks with her mother, Noel Holmes, as they arrive for Elizabeth Holmes' trial at the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on November 17, 2021, in San Jose, California. Holmes is facing charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly engaging in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud investors.

Enlarge / Theranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes, left, walks with her mother, Noel Holmes, as they arrive for Elizabeth Holmes' trial at the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on November 17, 2021, in San Jose, California. Holmes is facing charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly engaging in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud investors. (credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

For months, legal observers have been speculating whether Elizabeth Holmes would take the stand in her own criminal trial. Friday afternoon, Holmes put those questions to rest and was sworn in.

In her testimony, it was abundantly clear that, without her family’s wealth and status, Theranos would have been little more than a college student’s flight of fancy.

Holmes traced the beginnings of Theranos for the jury. As a college freshman at Stanford studying engineering, she had wanted to miniaturize the blood testing process—initially, her dream was to cram everything into a pill or patch, she told the court. Patients would either swallow the pill or slap on the patch, et voilà, get results beamed to a separate device. Sounds exactly like the sort of thing a college first-year would dream up.

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Holmes’ parents seeded Theranos, connected her with powerful investors

Without money and status, Holmes’ dream may have never gotten off the ground.

Theranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes, left, walks with her mother, Noel Holmes, as they arrive for Elizabeth Holmes' trial at the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on November 17, 2021, in San Jose, California. Holmes is facing charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly engaging in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud investors.

Enlarge / Theranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes, left, walks with her mother, Noel Holmes, as they arrive for Elizabeth Holmes' trial at the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on November 17, 2021, in San Jose, California. Holmes is facing charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly engaging in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud investors. (credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

For months, legal observers have been speculating whether Elizabeth Holmes would take the stand in her own criminal trial. Friday afternoon, Holmes put those questions to rest and was sworn in.

In her testimony, it was abundantly clear that, without her family’s wealth and status, Theranos would have been little more than a college student’s flight of fancy.

Holmes traced the beginnings of Theranos for the jury. As a college freshman at Stanford studying engineering, she had wanted to miniaturize the blood testing process—initially, her dream was to cram everything into a pill or patch, she told the court. Patients would either swallow the pill or slap on the patch, et voilà, get results beamed to a separate device. Sounds exactly like the sort of thing a college first-year would dream up.

Read 11 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Qualcomm Snapdragon chips will have simplified, single-digit names moving forward

Qualcomm’s mobile processor names have gotten a bit messy in recent years. Sure, Snapdragon 800 series chips are for flagships and Snapdragon 200 and 400 series chips are aimed at budget devices. But you’d need a reference manual to know that a Snapdragon 480+ 5G is newer than a Snapdragon 888 and to figure out […]

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Qualcomm’s mobile processor names have gotten a bit messy in recent years. Sure, Snapdragon 800 series chips are for flagships and Snapdragon 200 and 400 series chips are aimed at budget devices. But you’d need a reference manual to know that a Snapdragon 480+ 5G is newer than a Snapdragon 888 and to figure out how the two actually compare.

So Qualcomm has announced plans to simplify its mobile chip names moving forward.

The chip maker is going to stop putting the Qualcomm name on its chips. You’ll just see the Snapdragon branding from now on.

There will also be no more 3-digit numbers. Instead, you’ll get a single digit letting you know what category the chip is, followed by a generation number.

Qualcomm also plans to use colored badges for its chip logos, helping you see at a glance where they fit in the lineup:

  • Gold for top-tier chips
  • Midnight, Gunmetal, Nickel, and Red for other chips (more details on which category gets which color will likely be forthcoming soon)

And since all of Qualcomm’s mobile chips have 5G support these days, the company is going to stop adding 5G to the end of the names.

So goodbye Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G Mobile Platform, and hello Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (a name which first leaked a little earlier this month).

Not only will the new naming conventions hopefully make it a little easier to tell chips apart without a cheat sheet, but it will also probably help Qualcomm from running out of 3-digit numbers.

More details about Qualcomm’s upcoming chip lineup will likely be revealed at the Snapdragon Tech Summit, which is scheduled for November 30 – December 1, 2021.

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