Month: March 2023

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson)

Would you believe that Google's mass firings from January are still going on? Google's reported mishandling of its biggest round of layoffs ever has employees up in arms, and they're doing everything from walking out on the job to sending angry letters to management.

First up, European Googlers are just now being laid off due to the January announcement. Reuters reports that more than 200 workers were laid off from the Zurich, Switzerland, branch of the company this week. The employees at that office walked out for a second time in protest of the move and even offered to take pay cuts or reduce working hours to stave off the job cuts. Google's layoffs seem driven by a desire to placate the stock market, though, so it's no surprise that these offers fell on deaf ears.

Many of the Swiss workers that walked out in protest are members of the IT workers union Syndicom, and a union spokesperson told Reuters, "Our members at Google Zurich and all employees joining the walkout are showing solidarity with those laid off. They are bothered by the non-transparent nature of the layoffs and are especially disappointed that Google is laying off workers at a time when the company is making billions in profit every year."

Enlarge (credit: Anthropic)

On Tuesday, Anthropic introduced Claude, a large language model (LLM) that can generate text, write code, and function as an AI assistant similar to ChatGPT. The model originates from core concerns about future AI safety and Anthropic has trained it using a technique it calls "Constitutional AI."

Two versions of the AI model, Claude and "Claude Instant," are available now for a limited "early access" group and to commercial partners of Anthropic. Those with access can use Claude through either a chat interface in Anthropic's developer console or via an application programming interface (API). With the API, developers can hook into Anthropic's servers remotely and add Claude's analysis and text completion abilities to their apps.

Anthropic claims that Claude is "much less likely to produce harmful outputs, easier to converse with, and more steerable" than other AI chatbots while maintaining "a high degree of reliability and predictability." The company cites use cases such as search, summarization, collaborative writing, and coding. And, like ChatGPT's API, Claude can change personality, tone, or behavior depending on use preference.

Enlarge / Bent nails scattered around early Roman imperial burial site suggest an attempt to keep the deceased from rising. (credit: Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project)

Archaeologists excavating an early Roman imperial tomb in Turkey have uncovered evidence of unusual funerary practices. Instead of the typical method of being cremated on a funeral pyre and the remains relocated to a final resting place, these burnt remains had been left in place and covered in brick tiles and a layer of lime. Finally, several dozen bent and twisted nails, some with the heads pinched off, had been scattered around the burn site. The archaeologists suggest that this is evidence of magical thinking, specifically an attempt to prevent the deceased from rising from the grave to haunt the living, according to a recent paper published in the journal Antiquity.

Perhaps the best known examples of this kind of superstitious funerary practice are the so-called "vampire" burials that occasionally pop up at archaeological sites around the world. In the early 1990s, children playing in Connecticut stumbled upon the 19th-century remains of a middle-aged man identified only by the initials "JB55," spelled out in brass tacks on his coffin. His skull and femurs were neatly arranged in the shape of a skull and crossbones, leading archaeologists to conclude that the man had been a suspected "vampire" by his community. They have since found a likely identification for JB55 and reconstructed what the man may have looked like.

In 2018, archaeologists discovered the skeleton of a 10-year-old child at an ancient Roman site in Italy with a rock carefully placed in its mouth. This suggests those who buried the child—who probably died of malaria during a deadly 5th-century outbreak—feared it might rise from the dead and spread the disease to those who survived. Locals are calling it the "Vampire of Lugnano." And last year, archaeologists uncovered an unusual example of people using these tips in a 17th-century Polish cemetery near Bydgoszcz: a female skeleton buried with a sickle placed across her neck, as well as a padlock on the big toe of her left foot.

Enlarge / Images of the Samsung Galaxy S21, which runs with an Exynos chipset. (credit: Samsung)

Google is urging owners of certain Android phones to take urgent action to protect themselves from critical vulnerabilities that give skilled hackers the ability to surreptitiously compromise their devices by making a specially crafted call to their number.  It’s not clear if all actions urged are even possible, however, and even if they are, the measures will neuter devices of most voice-calling capabilities.

The vulnerability affects Android devices that use the Exynos chipset made by Samsung’s semiconductor division. Vulnerable devices include the Pixel 6 and 7, international versions of the Samsung Galaxy S22, various mid-range Samsung phones, the Galaxy Watch 4 and 5, and cars with the Exynos Auto T5123 chip. These devices are ONLY vulnerable if they run the Exynos chipset, which includes the baseband that processes signals for voice calls. The US version of the Galaxy S22 runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip.

A bug tracked as CVE-2023-24033 and three others that have yet to receive a CVE designation make it possible for hackers to execute malicious code, Google’s Project Zero vulnerability team reported on Thursday. Code-execution bugs in the baseband can be especially critical because the chips are endowed with root-level system privileges to ensure voice calls work reliably.

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  A built-in cryptocurrency wallet is the latest finance-related feature to pop up in Microsoft's Edge browser. [credit: @thebookisclosed/Twitter ]

Microsoft appears to be testing a built-in cryptocurrency wallet for Edge, according to screenshots pulled from a beta build of the browser. The feature, which the screenshots say is strictly for internal testing, was unearthed by Twitter user @thebookisclosed, who has a history of digging up present-but-disabled features in everything from new Windows 11 builds to ancient Windows Vista betas.

This is only one of many money and shopping-related features that Microsoft has bolted onto Edge since it was reborn as a Chromium-based browser a few years ago. In late 2021, the company faced backlash after adding a "buy now, pay later" short-term financing feature to Edge. And as an Edge user, the first thing I do in a new Windows install is disable the endless coupon code, price comparison, and cash-back pop-ups generated by Shopping in Microsoft Edge (many settings automatically sync between Edge browsers when you sign in with a Microsoft account; the default search engine and all of these shopping add-ons need to be changed manually every time).

According to the screenshots, the crypto wallet is "embedded in Edge, making it easy to use without installing any extension," and it can handle multiple types of cryptocurrency. It will also record transactions and the value of your individual currencies as they fluctuate. An "explore" tab offers news stories relevant to cryptocurrency, and an "assets" tab will let you stare lovingly at your NFTs. The wallet is "non-custodial" (also called "self-custodial"), meaning that you have sole ownership of and responsibility for the passwords and recovery keys that allow access to your funds. Microsoft won't be able to let you back in if you lose your credentials.

Enlarge / The 6th-generation iPad mini. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

If you have some upcoming travel planned, today's dealmaster can save you a nice chunk of change on some trusty travel companions. Bose's super-comfortable QuietComfort 45 noise-cancelling headphones are currently on sale for $280 ($330), while Apple's two most widely recommendable iPads, the iPad Air (10.9-inch, 64GB) and iPad Mini (8.3-inch, 64GB), are on sale for $500 ($560) and $300 ($400), respectively. Both iPad deals match the lowest prices we've tracked for these models. Do note that you'll receive the discount at checkout on Amazon's iPad Air deal.

Apple iPad Air, 10.9-inch 64GB for $500 ($560)

Apple's iPads are the best tablets you can buy, and the latest iPad Air is the best for most people. In our review, we noted that, in addition to the beautiful screen for media consumption, the M1 processor also gives it more power than it has any business having if you need to do a little bit of work. It's also a well-equipped device for video calls, utilizing a 12 MP front-facing camera with Apple's Center Stage technology to digitally assist in keeping you the main focus on video. Pair this with Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard compatibility, and it becomes harder to justify spending hundreds more on an iPad Pro.

The 2022 iPad Air with the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil. (credit: Samuel Axon)

Apple iPad Mini, 8.3-inch 64GB for $300 ($400)

The iPad Mini fills a similar role at its price point, and with $100 off the typical price, that value only deepens. It uses USB-C to charge, supports the latest Apple Pencil, and has Touch ID built into the power button. It doesn't have a matching Magic Keyboard, but you can always pair it with a Bluetooth keyboard. As we note in our review, it does well to emulate a mini version of the latest iPads and their newest features. Just note that an 8.3-inch screen can be a bit cramped for multitasking or hours of work. Otherwise it's a great device for consuming media, sketching, or jotting down notes.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Chesnot )

New reports say the US Justice Department is investigating TikTok-owner ByteDance over recent revelations that employees tracked journalists in an attempt to find out who leaked company data to the press.

The Justice Department and US Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia "subpoenaed information from ByteDance regarding efforts by its employees to access US journalists' location information or other private user data using the TikTok app," Forbes reported yesterday. "According to two sources, the FBI has been conducting interviews related to the surveillance."

The investigation was also confirmed today in New York Times and Wall Street Journal articles citing anonymous sources. The investigation reportedly began in December. ByteDance is based in China, and TikTok is facing the possibility of being banned in the US if it doesn't sever ties with its China-based owners.