BetaNews: Yet another Windows update is causing yet more printer problems. “Microsoft has issued a warning that the July security updates released by the company can lead to printing and scanning issues. The problem affects not only Windows 10, but also Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows Server.”
ScienceDaily: Wearable devices can reduce collision risk in blind and visually impaired people. “A new randomized controlled trial shows wearing a vibrating collision device can reduce collisions in people who are blind and visually impaired, adding a potential new tool that can be used by these populations in addition to a long cane, to ensure independent travel safety.”
CNBC: Viral video shows Malaysian police destroying 1,069 bitcoin mining rigs with a steamroller. “Malaysian authorities seized 1,069 bitcoin mining rigs, laid them out in a parking lot at police headquarters, and used a steamroller to crush them, as part of a joint operation between law enforcement in the city of Miri and electric utility Sarawak Energy. Assistant Commissioner of Police Hakemal Hawari told CNBC the crackdown came after miners allegedly stole $2 million worth of electricity siphoned from Sarawak Energy power lines.”
Tom’s Guide: Apple Glass patent shows how it could avoid Google Glass fail. “One of the many problems with Google Glass was a fear of privacy violations. When somebody films you with their phone, it’s pretty obvious that you’re on camera, and you can move away, cover your face or ask the person to stop filming. With Google Glass, the only clue that footage was being taken was a small light on the camera. For Apple Glass, the iPhone maker’s upcoming smart glasses, Apple seems to have taken heed of the controversy.”
The Verge: Listen to Spotify on this nostalgic iPod-style web music player. “In an era before multitouch displays, the iPod’s click wheel was the king of music playback control. Now, a new project from frontend software developer Tanner Villarete has attempted to emulate its classic controls as a web app, complete with support for your Spotify and Apple Music library.”
Gizmodo: Google Glass Was Ugly, but Facebook’s AR Baseball Hat Might Actually Be Worse. “One of the biggest hurdles for augmented reality devices is design: No one wants to wear an obvious gadget on their face. Realising the issues Google Glass had with gaining consumer traction, it seems Facebook may embrace a unique design for a future wearable. Folks, it’s a baseball hat.”
Make Tech Easier: A Guide to Emulation with RetroPie. “Emulating video game systems and computers is one of the things that the Raspberry Pi has always been good at, right from the start. You can do this with your own Raspberry Pi using RetroPie emulators. RetroPie is easily one of the best all-in-one plug-in-play retro gaming solutions. Even with systems that don’t work flawlessly, it’s not too difficult to tweak them to work right.”
Tom’s Hardware: Google Uses AI to Design Chips, Creating Machine Learning Ouroboros. “Google researchers published a new paper in Nature on Wednesday describing ‘an edge-based graph convolutional neural network architecture’ that learned how to design the physical layout of a semiconductor in a way that allows ‘chip design to be performed by artificial agents with more experience than any human designer.’ Interestingly, Google used AI to design other AI chips that offer more performance.”
Dot LA: Snap Unveils Its New AR Glasses and Innovation Lab. “Snap unveiled its latest AR glasses, pushing deeper into the technology it considers its big bet. Chief executive Evan Spiegel demonstrated the latest version of ‘Spectacles’ that overlay computer graphics atop the wearer’s field of vision during the company’s annual partner summit on Thursday.”
CNN: Google to open its first retail store to sell devices. “Almost exactly 20 years to the day after Apple opened its first retail store, Google is finally following suit. The company announced Thursday that it is opening its first physical retail store, called Google Store, this summer in New York City. The store will be located under its offices in the Chelsea neighborhood, where it employs many of its more than 11,000 employees in the city.”
Pro Video Coalition: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gets Cooke Archive. “Cooke Optics, the award-winning manufacturer of precision lenses for film and television, has transferred the Cooke Archive, an historic collection dating from 1886, and that covers covers development of lens design for photography and film through the 20th century, to a new permanent home at the Margaret Herrick Library, the main repository of research materials of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, located in Beverly Hills, California.”
Medical Plastics News: FDA-approved medical devices and clinical trials database launched. “The National Institute for Health Research’s Innovation Observatory (NIHRIO), based at Newcastle University, has launched a comprehensive database of searchable clinical trials drawing from 11 of the largest clinical trial registries in the world; as well as medical devices, diagnostics and digital applications information from the FDA database.”
Wired: They Hacked McDonald’s Ice Cream Machines—and Started a Cold War. “OF ALL THE mysteries and injustices of the McDonald’s ice cream machine, the one that Jeremy O’Sullivan insists you understand first is its secret passcode. Press the cone icon on the screen of the Taylor C602 digital ice cream machine, he explains, then tap the buttons that show a snowflake and a milkshake to set the digits on the screen to 5, then 2, then 3, then 1. After that precise series of no fewer than 16 button presses, a menu magically unlocks.”
CNET: Yayagram: A 20th century phone switchboard for Telegram instant messages. “If you want to talk to your grandmother on messaging app Telegram and she doesn’t have a smartphone, she’ll need to get one. She’ll need to learn how to use iOS or Android. How to manage notifications. You could teach her all of that — or you could just build her a 1900s telephone switchboard that does nothing but send and receive Telegram messages.”
