Patrick Beja is on the show and we discuss British intelligence looking at nude photos of Yahoo chatters, plus more net neutrality thoughts, and a very special birthday that made all of this possible. You have not guessed who it was, I promise.

MP3

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A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest:  Patrick Beja, host of RDVTech

Headlines

British spy program ‘Optic Nerve’ captures Yahoo web chats, including nude images: The Guardian reports on documents obtained from Edward Snowden describing a UK GCHQ spy program called ‘Optic Nerve’ which ran from 2008-2010 for sure and was showing up on an internal wiki as recently as 2012. The program captured images from Yahoo chats, saving a still picture every 5 minutes. Analysts could only look at metadata in bulk searches but could get images if a username was the same or similar to targeted individual. In addition to testing facial recognition and feeding some data to the US NSA. the GCHQ was surprised to find a “number of people use webcam conversations to show intimate parts of their body to the other person.” Around seven percent of the images included “undesirable nudity.” The report did not estimate the amount of desirable nudity.

Google’s Project Ara project to arrive as early as next year with $50 price tag:  Time’s Technologizer blog reports Google’s Project Ara modular smartphone could arrive early next year priced at $50. That’s the phone that has blocks you can plug in and replace to add or upgrade functionality. Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group reportedly will finish a functioning prototype within a few weeks.The $50 version would only have WiFi, but then you could always get more block later. The freemium model comes to hardware!

Boeing to make secure phone CNET reports on Boeing’s dupe secure government and military phone: Yes Boeing is making a phone. Codenamed Black, it comes with loads of security features, dual SIM cards, a modular back for mission-specific needs like satellite communications or ultra-specific geolocation. Also any attempt to open the device would delete the data and software. The device won’t be available to the consumer market and technical information on “Black” is to remain confidential or protected by non-disclosure agreements. Also we never had this conversation.

The European Commission plans to hold talks on clearer guidelines for in-app purchases to prevent free-to-download games from misleading customers

GigaOm reports on crowd funding for a wearable fitness device called Moov which would audio and visual instruction WHILE you’re exercising

Baidu finished 2013 with its fastest revenue growth in more than a year increasing 50.3 percent to 9.523 billion yuan beating analyst expectations of 9.319 billion 

Pew research data shows 87 percent of people in the US use the Internet. That number shoots to 99 percent in households that earn more than $75,000 a year

News From You

Hey Steven Strogatz, I hope you made a bet on your prediction that computer-assisted math solutions would surpass human comprehension. Josh sent us an email with a link to the iO9 article about a computer that has solved the longstanding Erdős discrepancy problem. The solution is as long as all of Wikipedia’s pages combined and impossible for a human to confirm. The only way to check if it’s right is to see if another computer attempting to solve the same problem comes up with the same answer.

KAPT_Kipper posted the TechCrunch article about Sony announcing it’s shutting down 20 of its 31 retail stores in the US. Sony is busy offloading unprofitable parts of its business, even considering things like selling Sony Pictures, so this isn’t a shock. The 11 stores to remain open are in California, New York, Florida, and Houston, Texas.

And tm204 noted the Computer World story about Apple’s decision Tuesday that it will no longer issue security patches for OS X Snow Leopard. The last Snow Leopard security update came in September 2013. Snow Leoaprd was released in 2009. Apple generally only supports the newest and previous versions of its OS, but has supported Snow Leoaprd longer. Still. 19% of Macs were running Snow Leopard according to Net Applications data. Snow Leopard was the last version of the OS capable of running applications on the PowerPC processor.

Discussion Section Links:

Yahoo webcam images from millions of users intercepted by GCHQ

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/27/gchq-nsa-webcam-images-internet-yahoo

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/02/spy-agency-intercepts-yahoo-webcam-chats-nudes-and-all/

Pick of the Day:

I always heartily endorse Writer, at writer.bighugelabs.com Its essentially an internet typewriter, a super stripped down word processor. By default its green text on a black background (takes me back to my DOS days), and when in full screen mode it gives the best distraction free writing experience I’ve ever had. It has basic features, word count and a word count goal percentage, along with online saving across their servers. There’s a subscription option with some more advanced editing features and the ability to save to Google Drive/Dropbox, but the free version is all I’ve ever need. Every time I try NaNoWriMo its my go to.

Unprompted and hopefully not resented. Thanks

Rich from Lovely Cleveland

Tomorrow’s Guest:  Darren Kitchen of hak5.org

Sean Hollister is on the show to tell us how Google is about to conquer its own town. We’ll also update you on BitCoin and trot out some exciting new net neutrality metaphors!

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke and scottierowland on the subreddit
Show Notes: 

Today’s guest:  Sean Hollister, senior reporter at The Verge

Headlines

Mt. Gox hit with federal subpoena:  Ars Technica reports on the latest with Mt. Gox, the bit coin exchange that’s been down for more than a week. Wednesday morning, CEO Mark Karpeles wrote a new post on the Mt. Gox website reassuring people that he is still in Japan working hard to find a solution to Mt. Gox’s issues. The WSJ reports the US Southern District of New York has issued a federal subpoena to Mt. Gox. That court often deals with financial crimes. Japanese authorities say they are looking into the collapse themselves.

Continue reading DTNS 2179 – Set Sail for Google Island →

Roger Chang joins me to dig into the Mt. Gox Bitcoin mess, have some further thoughts on Comcast-Netflix and look at a new language! Also, do selfies cause lice?

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest:  Roger Chang, TV and web video producer

Headlines

Mt. Gox goes offline: Ars Technica and really the whole tech journalism sphere are reporting on Mt. Gox going offline. The site has been replaced by a message that transactions are closed for the time being for the protection of users. A joint statement from other Bitcoin exchanges accuses Mt. Gox of being a bad actor and promises make botching more secure and easy to use for customers. A leaked set of slides purports to show Mt. Gox plans to name a new CEO and possibly sell the company to new investors and relaunch under the name Gox. The domain name Gox.com is owned by MT. Gox’s CEO and the record was updated Feb. 24th.

Apple releases OS X patch for SSL security bug: TechCrunch reports Apple has released their OS X patch for security bug that meant all data secured in SSL was susceptible to man in the middle attacks from nearby hackers. The bug was patched for iOS this weekend. Anyone running OS X 10.9 is urged to update the OS as soon as possible. The patch also adds audio-only capability to FaceTime on the desktop.

Blackberry announces a Foxconn-made phone called the Z3: TechCrunch has the new BlackBerry announcements including the much-rumored Foxconn-made phone called the Z3. The touchscreen smartphone has a 5-inch qHD display, 1.2GHz dual core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5 GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage and an internal FM radio! The Z3 will launch in Indonesia first. BlackBerry also announced a 3.5-inch phone with a QWERTY keyboard called the Q20.

T-Mobile adds 1.6 million subscribers in Q4: But they lost $20 million or 3 cents a share on revenue of $6.83 billion. All those snotty ads cost money. Still they only added 61,000 subscribers a year ago so the expensive ads did seem to work.

Tivo founders launch QPlay device

Motorola took to Twitter to announce the company is working on a watch to come out this year and promise a new version of Moto X coming late summer

Freescale Semiconductor introduced an ARM-baed micro controller unit smaller than a golf ball dimple for use in embedded devices that make up the Internet of Things. 

Ewwww….

News From You

pete_C posted a ZDNet story to the SubReddit that got some up votes. Seems Ars Technica noted the security team at FireEye developed a proof-of-concept app that could run in the background of a mobile device and log your keystrokes. FireEye originally posted that they successfully got such an app through Apple’s app store but that post has been removed. The defense for now is to be careful what apps you install, and only allow apps you trust to run in the background.

and sewell2 submitted the Ars Technica article on Stephen Elop becoming head of Microsoft’s Devices and Studios group, once Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s handset division is completed. Devices and Services makes the Xbox and the Surface among other things. The Nokia handset business will fall under that division as well. Julie Larson-Green, who currently heads Devices & Services, will become “Chief Experience Officer” of the “My Life & Work” team as soon as Elop joins.

News from Roger: Google sets roadblocks to stop distracted driver legislation

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/25/us-google-glass-lobbying-idUSBREA1O0P920140225

Discussion Section Links: Mt Gox Has Fallen

https://www.mtgox.com/

http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/02/mt-gox-once-the-worlds-largest-bitcoin-exchange-shuts-down/

http://blog.coinbase.com/post/77766809700/joint-statement-regarding-mtgox

http://www.scribd.com/doc/209050732/MtGox-Situation-Crisis-Strategy-Draft

http://winkdex.com/#/

http://gigaom.com/2014/02/24/this-could-be-the-end-of-bitcoin-leak-shows-massive-theft-at-mt-gox-price-falls-below-500-amid-pleas-for-calm/

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Transaction_Malleability

https://freedom-to-tinker.com/blog/felten/understanding-bitcoins-transaction-malleability-problem/

http://two-bit-idiot.tumblr.com/post/77817993185/motives-disclosures-suspicions-mt-gox-update

Pick of the Day: 

Tomorrow’s Guest:  Sean Hollister, West Coast Editor at The Verge

We have Iyaz Akhtar and Nate Lanxon joining us to chat about the Samsung Galaxy S5. We also clear up *some* of the confusion around the Netflix Comcast agreement. The bad things about it are likely not the bad things you think they are.

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Samsung announces  the Samsung Galaxy V:  The 5.1-inch phone comes with a fingerprint unlock button, built-in heart rate monitor, and is IP67-rated for water and dust resistance. It can be submerged in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. It also comes with a 16-megapixel camera capable of recording at 4K and inside sports a 2.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM,and a 2800mAh battery. The Galaxy S5 is scheduled to launch globally on April 11 and will be available on all major US carriers. Samsung also announced the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear 2 Fit with a heart rate monitor, the next versions of the Samsung Galaxy Gear smart watch. The new versions run on the Tizen operating system, promising better battery life and camera placement.

Nokia introduces Android-based smartphone with Microsoft Apps Ars Technica reports Nokia introduced a line of Android-based smartphones. Similar to a Kindle Fire, the Nokia X phones will run Android underneath but without any of the Google services. Nokia will have its own app store, mapping services, search by Bing, and Microsoft apps like Skype and Outlook pre-installed. The interface also has a Windows Phone-like style. The 4-inch Nokia X goes on sale immediately for €89. The 4-inch X+ and 5-inch XL go on sale next quarter, at €99 and €109 respectively.

HTC reveals mid-range smartphones, saves the ‘flagship’ device for March 25th: According to Recode, HTC announced two mid-range smartphones at Mobile World Congress. The HTC Desire 816 features a 5-megapixel front camera, 13 megapixel rear camera, a quad-cord Snapdragon processor and 5.5 inch display. The device hits China in March and other countries in April. The 4.7-inch Desire 610 ships to Europe In May. No pricing available yet for either phone. The company saved a new flagship device for an event on March 25th. The Verge reports HTC also announced the ‘Power to Give’ app which uses idle phone processors to provide up to a petaflop of processing power to speed help cure AIDS, fight cancer and help SETI find ET, who could then phone home on a new — nope. Not gonna do it.

Zuckerberg talks internet.org at Mobile World Congress: The BBC wrote about Mark Zuckerberg’s speech at Mobile World Congress. Zuckerberg focused on the Internet.org effort he spearheads, which aims to put billions of people online. A pilot program was announced to bring free online education to students in Rwanda. A partnership between Facebook and Unilever will research lack of Internet access in India, and another survey will estimate the value of expanding access in the developing world in general. CNN reports that in a Q&A session, Zuckerberg also said WhatsApp was worth more than $19 billion because it has the potential for 1 billion users. He also indicated he though the government blew it in its response to the Snowden leaks.

News From You

MANAGEMIKE and elefunk both submitted stories about Netflix and Comcast announcing the two companies have reached a mutually beneficial interconnection agreement. The Wall Street Journal claims Netflix will pay for the deal. Ars Technica’s sources could not confirm that. Dan Rayburn argued on streamingmedia.com that this agreement is a good thing for both Netflix and Comcast.

http://blog.streamingmedia.com/2014/02/media-botching-coverage-netflix-comcast-deal-getting-basics-wrong.html

http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/02/netflix-is-paying-comcast-for-direct-connection-to-network-wsj-reports/

http://gigaom.com/2014/02/23/the-netflix-comcast-agreement-isnt-a-network-neutrality-violation-but-it-is-a-problem/

http://arstechnica.com/features/2008/09/peering-and-transit/

flashsider submitted a CNET report that Mozilla announced a partnership with Chinese semiconductor designer Spreadtrum to produce a FirefoxOS phone that will sell for $25. A prototype was available, and CNET’s Stepghen Shankland said it worked well. Mozilla also showed off new FirefoxOS phones coming from Alcatel, ZTE and Huawei, as well as tablet designs from VIA, Foxconn and Alcatel.

SkyJedi submitted the Guardian article that Jan Koum, CEO of WhatsApp announced voice capability will be added to the Android and iOS versions of the app starting in the second quarter of this year, followed by some Nokia and BlackBerry phones. Competing messaging apps like KakaoTalk, Line and BBM already offer voice services.

More links from the show

Sony announces two smartphones and a tablet at Mobile World Congress

 Microsoft announces bundles of the Xbox One console with the game Titanfall for $499 starting March 11, that’s the same price the Xbox One sells for in the US without Titanfall

Apple releases security patch for SSL vulnerability

Brazil and the European Union agreed Monday to lay an undersea communications cable between Lisbon, Portugal and Fortaleza, Brazil. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said the $185 million cable project was central to “guarantee the neutrality” of the Internet.”