I cannot fully express how this video makes me feel. I want this to happen so, so badly.
Zombie Moore’s Law shows hardware is eating software
This is a fantastic article that illustrates one reason I’ve been so fascinated by hardware over the last few years.
The cheap and easy gains of the last fifty years of Moore’s Law gave birth to a global technology industry. The next little while – somewhere between twenty and fifty years out – will be dominated by a transition from software into hardware, a confusion of the two so complete it will literally become impossible to know where the boundary between the two lies.
Source: Zombie Moore’s Law shows hardware is eating software • The Register
Largest DDoS attack ever delivered by botnet of hijacked IoT devices
Get used to this, because here’s the future of computer security….
A giant botnet made up of hijacked internet-connected things like cameras, lightbulbs, and thermostats has launched the largest DDoS attack ever against a top security blogger, an attack so big Akamai had to cancel his account because defending it ate up too many resources.
Source: Largest DDoS attack ever delivered by botnet of hijacked IoT devices | Network World
Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles
Prediction: This won’t end well.
What initially appears to be a normal pair of sunglasses turns out to be Spectacles, the first hardware product from Snap Inc., as the firm has been newly christened (Spiegel is refreshing the company name because its offerings now go beyond the Snapchat app). When you slip Spectacles on and tap a button near the hinge, it records up to 10 seconds of video from your first-person vantage. Each new tap records another clip.
Source: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles – WSJ
Digital-to-Analog Converter in Lightning EarPods and 3.5mm Adapter
Tiny computers in everything…
Vietnamese website Tinhte has shared a teardown of Apple’s new Lightning EarPods and Lightning-to-3.5mm headphone jack adapter included in the box with iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The video confirms that, as expected, each accessory is equipped with a small digital-to-analog converter.
Source: Teardown Confirms Digital-to-Analog Converter in Lightning EarPods and 3.5mm Adapter – Mac Rumors
U.S. Signals Backing for Self-Driving Cars
“We envision in the future, you can take your hands off the wheel, and your commute becomes restful or productive instead of frustrating and exhausting,” said Jeffrey Zients, director of the National Economic Council, adding that highly automated vehicles “will save time, money and lives.”
Source: U.S. Signals Backing for Self-Driving Cars – The New York Times
GoPro announces its own drone
GoPro’s latest product is a move in a new direction: Up.After a year of rumors and teases, the action camera company finally announced its very first drone, the Karma ($800).
Source: GoPro announces its own drone GoPro — cameras sold separately – Sep. 19, 2016
Amazon’s cheaper Echo Dot
If you’ve been looking for a way to test Amazon’s voice assistant/AI/Machine Learning gizmo Alexa, here’s the cheapest way yet to give it a try.
Amazon is unveiling an all-new, second-generation Dot today that’s priced at just $49.99. Just like the previous Dot, you can use the tiny puck-like device to add the Alexa voice assistant to existing speakers. Amazon is releasing the new Echo Dot in both black and white, with a more powerful, completely redesigned voice processor.
Source: Amazon’s cheaper Echo Dot improves voice recognition, available in black and white – The Verge
3D-printed Drinks
This looks like the sort of thing that you might find at Aviary…
Have we reached peak 3D printing? 3D printed drinks #arselectronica16 pic.twitter.com/7jSLbtLcmN
— Jesse LouisRosenberg (@nervous_jesse) September 9, 2016
PRINT A DRINK combines methods from robotics, life sciences, and design to explore a completely new field of 3D-printing. Rather than building up objects layer by layer, the process uses a high-end KUKA iiwa robot to accurately “inject” microliter-drops of edible liquid into a cocktail. Within a minute, PRINT A DRINK can build up complex 3D structures in a wide range of drinks – creating fascinating augmented cocktails using only natural ingredients.
Source: 3D-printed Drinks
Chipotle Starts Testing Burrito Delivery Drones at Virginia Tech Next Week
Alphabet’s Project Wing, a branch of the behemoth tech company formerly known as Google, announced the tests today, which will include autonomous drones being monitored by human operators. But the drones won’t take off from Chipotle stores with orders. Instead, test participants will order from a special kiosk on campus, prompting the drones to take off from Chipotle food trucks and ultimately lower the packages to the ground.
Source: Chipotle Starts Testing Burrito Delivery Drones at Virginia Tech Next Week