technology

How Hackers Use Bots to Score Prime Restaurant Reservations

"Forget about hacking an app or database: for a small cadre of hackers in San Francisco, it’s all about writing code that can score them a great table at a hot restaurant. According to the BBC, these developers and programmers have designed bots that scan restaurant Websites for open tables and reserve them. Diogo Mónica, a security engineer with e-commerce firm Square, is one of those programmers. A self-described foodie, he decided to get around his inability to score a table at the ultra-popular State Bird Provisions by writing a script that sent out an email every time the restaurant’s reservation page changed." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Hackers Use Bots to Score Prime Restaurant Reservations

Inside TimeSpace, the New York Times’ new startup accelerator

"The program is the first experiment of its kind by the owner of the country’s second largest newspaper. It’s goal is to infuse the 162-year-old Times Company, battered, bruised and barely profitable thanks to digital disruption, with some of that sweet innovation nectar startups are known for. In exchange, the startups get access to decision makers, lawyers, and editorial staff at the New York Times, with a little prestige and credibility to boot. The unspoken hope is that the entrepreneurial spirit will rub off on the slow-moving Times Company like osmosis." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInside TimeSpace, the New York Times’ new startup accelerator

Transforming the Future of the Automotive Industry

"More often than not, innovation is born from destruction. That’s why it’s all too fitting that Tesla’s facility in California was once the site of a now-defunct joint venture between two traditional automotive powerhouses. General Motors and Toyota. In Early 2010, Tesla purchased the 5 million-square-foot facility for $42 million. Tesla took advantage of the soft economy, buying one of the biggest auto factories in the country for just pennies on the dollar (the factory is valued at approximately $1 billion). And that’s not the end of it. After the purchase of the factory itself, Tesla scooped up the usable NUMMI assembly equipment at fire-sale prices." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTransforming the Future of the Automotive Industry

Spain museum uses robot to spot cracks in artwork

"In the basement of Madrid’s Reina Sofia museum, a giant robotic machine painstakingly scans a painting by Catalan surrealist artist Joan Miro, slowly snapping hundreds of microscopic shots. The pictures taken by the machine, which uses infrared and ultraviolet photography, will help experts determine the condition of the 1974 oil on canvas painting in unprecedented detail. The device lets restorers see cracks, scratches and creases as well underlying preparatory sketches and all subsequent touch-ups that would be otherwise undetectable. The robot can work unsupervised round-the-clock and can be controlled by a computer from a remote location." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSpain museum uses robot to spot cracks in artwork

World’s first fleet of marine drones being tested in the Mediterranean

"Under the scrutiny of their masters, whose eyes are glued to computer screens, the world’s first fleet of 'marine drones' is being put through its paces. Five European countries — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal — have sent prototypes here under a four-year, four-million-euro ($5.32-million) programme to build a squad of unmanned underwater rovers. Deployed from a surface vessel, but communicating among themselves and using artificial intelligence, the wireless scouts would spread out in a surveillance network." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWorld’s first fleet of marine drones being tested in the Mediterranean

UK Porn Filter: Censorship Extends Beyond Pornography, But One ISP Is Fighting Back

"One U.K. ISP, TalkTalk, already has 'The HomeSafe System,' which was singled out for praise by David Cameron when announcing the new policy. It gives another good idea of the kind of Internet censorship the British government is looking to implement. HomeSafe is actually operated by Huawei, a Chinese company that both the U.K. and the U.S. accused of having close ties with the Chinese government. The U.S. has branded Huawei a threat to national security. ISPs will be able to use whatever filter system they like, so many may not choose to be associated with Huawei. Others are refusing to take place in the filters at all." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUK Porn Filter: Censorship Extends Beyond Pornography, But One ISP Is Fighting Back

‘Bitcoin steals power from both banks and gangsters’

"Digital currency Bitcoin is gaining popularity around the globe as people become more and more dissatisfied with the conventional banking system. Instant, safe and nearly anonymous, is what Bitcoin claims to be. It takes no commission for transactions and can be used internationally wherever you have internet access. Is it the currency of the future? We talk to Bitcoin developer from UK Amir Taaki." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Bitcoin steals power from both banks and gangsters’

The Relentless Market for “Saturday Night Specials”

"The phrase 'Saturday night special' used to be applied to cheap handguns available to gangs. These days, the gangs have Uzis. But I am sure that low-budget criminals still buy Saturday night specials. About 30 years ago, I applied the phrase to describe the microcomputer. I said that this would shift power away from the federal government. It would provide the common man with a tool of resistance. The American government worries about its lack of gun control: the decentralization of power. But that is nothing when compared to the threat of Android." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Relentless Market for “Saturday Night Specials”

Uber Unveils On-Demand Boating Service in Amsterdam

"During last week's heat wave in the U.S., Uber modified its on-demand car service by letting residents in cities around the world order up ice cream trucks. Now the team at Uber has come up with another twist on the service called Uber Sloep. Launched as a special program in Amsterdam, the Netherlands' capital and largest city, Uber Sloep will allow anyone to use the Uber app to order up a private boat to travel the scenic canals of the city. For one day over the July 4 weekend, Uber offered $3,000 helicopter rides from New York City to the Hamptons under the 'Uber Chopper' moniker." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUber Unveils On-Demand Boating Service in Amsterdam

Luxury private taxi app Uber launches in Zurich

"Uber produces an app which allows customers to book rides with limousine companies and private drivers using their mobile phone. Offering an alternative to taxis, the company claims to have hooked up thousands of drivers with thousands of customers using iPhone and Android technology. According to Liz Spengler of the Taxiverband Zurich, 'The taxi industry in Zurich is unhappy with the launch of Uber. We feel that customers will probably be deceived by the dishonest competition; the drivers charge will far too much and probably earn very little; and, on top of that, the taxi and limousine market here is already saturated.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLuxury private taxi app Uber launches in Zurich