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Streaming Services and the Arms Race for TV Writers

Charlotte Henry ·

We seem to be living in a golden age of television thanks to streaming services, and The writers behind some of our favourite shows are getting well rewarded for it. Fast Company looked at how Netflix kickstarted «a $1 billion arms race» for TV writing talent. With Apple stepping into the field, and spending serious cash on the likes of Oprah, the fees look like they are only going to go one way.

In the last 18 months there have been so many jaw-dropping deals with the people who dream up TV shows–and the numbers for those deals so staggeringly high–that reports of another TV writer getting piles of cash thrown at him or her by a network, studio, or streaming company has become almost numbingly de rigueur. The starting gun that set off this phenomenon can be traced back to Netflix’s announcement in the summer of 2017 that it was poaching Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes from her longtime home at ABC in a deal worth $150 million.

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FBI: Encryption Infects Law Enforcement Community

Andrew Orr ·

The FBI really really dislikes end-to-end encryption, saying that it’s a problem that infects the law enforcement community (paywall).

The so-called going-dark issue…is a problem [that] infects law enforcement and the intelligence community more and more so every day,” said Amy Hess, executive assistant director with the FBI, in an interview. Ms. Hess, who previously oversaw the FBI’s science and technology branch, testified to Congress on the problem during Apple’s 2016 clash with the bureau.

Apple and others are worried about Australia’s encryption ban, and it could be a test case for the rest of the Five Eyes.

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Pokemon Sword and Shield Will Bring Generation 8

Andrew Orr ·

Nintendo announced the arrival of Pokemon Sword and Shield that will come to the Nintendo Switch later this year. It brings with it the eighth generation of Pokemon. We saw a sneak peak of three starter Pokemon: Grookey, a chimp full of boundless curiosity; Scorbunny, a rabbit bursting with energy; and Sobble, a timid water lizard.

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will be set in Galar, an expansive region with many environments—idyllic countryside, contemporary cities, thick forests, and craggy, snow-covered mountains. The people and Pokémon live together in this region, and they’ve worked together to develop the industries here.

I recently bought a Switch and I’m currently playing Pokemon Let’s Go: Eevee. I haven’t kept up with the previous generations but I look forward to getting this game.

Private Internet Access 2.8.0 Brings Network Whitelisting
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Private Internet Access 2.8.0 Brings Network Whitelisting

Andrew Orr ·

The Private Internet Access 2.8.0 update brings a network management tool. When you enable the feature PIA will automatically turn itself on when you connect to untrusted Wi-Fi networks. You can add networks you do trust to a whitelist, including your cellular network. If you set it not to trust cellular networks and you turn on the option to protect all networks, it means that the VPN will automatically turn itself on all the time.

The update also adds support for IKEv2. Internet Key Exchange (IKE) is part of the IPsec protocol suite, and it’s used to set up a security association. Jargon aside, IKEv2 is responsible for making a secure connection between you and the VPN server. It does this by authenticating you both and establishing which encryption methods will be used.

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The One Job Exempt From Robots? Not Really

John Martellaro ·

We know that robots will take jobs from humans. (We will adapt.) But the one job that seemed safe has been religious leaders: ministers, priests, rabbis, etc. But wait. The Telegraph writes:

A 400-year-old temple in the deeply traditional Japanese city of Kyoto has unveiled a robotic deity to deliver Buddha’s teachings in a bid to reach younger generations of Japanese.

Looks like I was wrong. (Image credit: The Telegraph via Japan Times)

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It's Not Just Facebook - Anti-Vaxxers are on Amazon Too

Charlotte Henry ·

Facebook has made moves to remove anti-vaxxer content from its platform recently. However, it might not be the only place where such content is an issue. A report on Wired showed that anti-vaxxer films do very well on Amazon Prime too. Its «customers also watched» functionality means that once users have watched 1 anti-vax film, they can easily find more.

An Amazon Prime Video a search for “Vaccine” directs people to Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe – a pseudoscience documentary directed by Andrew Wakefield, a former doctor who, in 1998, released a fraudulent and widely-debunked paper asserting a link between the MMR vaccine and autism…Amazon’s “customers also watched” bar directs Vaxxed viewers to other pseudoscientific films with names such as Injecting Aluminum, Anthrax-Smallpox Vaccinations and the Mark of the Beast and Man Made Epidemic.

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TMO Background Mode Interview with Houston Chronicle Technology Editor Dwight Silverman

John Martellaro · · Add Comment

Dwight Silverman is the technology editor for the Houston Chronicle. He manages the TechBurger website, and writes about personal technology for HoustonChronicle.com, Chron.com and the print edition.

Previously, he was the senior web producer for premium products, managing HoustonChronicle.com, the Chronicle’s iPad app and E-edition. He also worked as the social media manager and technology blogger for the Houston Chronicle and Chron.com.

We chatted about becoming a technology journalist in the early days, his work at various newspapers, dealing with unusual writing assignments, how he fell into the Apple/Mac sphere, writing books about the Mac, and his evolution at the Houston Chronicle. We closed with a discussion of te streaming video business and how Apple will break into the business now dominated by Netflix and Amazon.

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Foldable Phones are a Gimmick That Apple Doesn't Need

Andrew Orr ·

I’ll go on the record to say that, while I think foldable phones are interesting, I also think they are gimmicky and Apple doesn’t need to chase that trend. But in a new interview with Steve Wozniak, he says he wants a foldable iPhone.

«Apple has been a leader for quite a long time in a few areas such as touch ID, facial ID, and easy payment with the phone,” Wozniak said in a Bloomberg TV interview. «They’re not the leader in areas like the folding phone, and that worries me because I really want a folding phone.»