You can now build a Nintendo Labo VR headset, the company announced recently. It will go on sale April 12.
Be Sure to Properly Remove Data from Devices
David Nield implores us to make sure we properly remove data from our devices before we get rid of them.
Your personal data—be it financial spreadsheets or web searches—is not something you want to be leaving behind for other people to find, and totally wiping your activity off devices or the web takes a few more steps than you might have realized. Don’t worry though, as we’re going to walk you through the process.
Senator Elizabeth Warren Wants to Break up Big Tech
In a plan to break up ‘Big Tech’ Senator Elizabeth Warren wants to break up tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Facebook.
Verifications.io Leaked 809 Million Records
An email marketing company called Verifications.io—which has been taken offline—exposed 809 million records in a database.
In general, the 809 million total records in the Verifications.io trove include standard information like names, email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses. But many also include things like gender, date of birth, personal mortgage amount, interest rate, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram accounts associated with email addresses, and characterizations of people’s credit scores (like average, above average, and so on).
As always, use the tool HaveIBeenPwned.com to see if your email was included in a data breach.
Facebook Coin is Already the Butt of Jokes
Facebook is rumored to launch its own cryptocurrency called Facebook Coin, and it’s already a laughingstock with cryptocurrency experts.
Silicon Valley Workers Look to Improve Conditions for Contractors
The treatment of contractors was a key issue raised by the recent Google walkout, and by workers and other Silicon Valley firms. Apple itself has been criticized for how non-permanent staff are treated. Now, some workers at Facebook are getting organized. FastCompany reported that they have started a group called Workers for Workers, and are surveying permanent and contractor colleagues about their working conditions.
The fight for solidarity may now be spreading to Facebook, with the launch this week of a group called Workers for Workers. Its website features anonymous stories by Facebook contractors, known as “contingent workers.” The first (and thus far only) post, by someone called “Alice,” states: “The number one thing I’m worried about right now is being stuck in these kinds of contracting roles forever. Never making more than $25 an hour, and being a permanent contractor . . . ”
Apple AR Headset Set for 2020, According to Top Analyst
Apple’s forthcoming AR headset is set to be released 2020, according to high-profile Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. He added that manufacturing will beging by the end of 2019, according to AppleInsider. Significantly, it looks like your iPhone is going to most of the hard work, while the glasses act as a display.
Kuo claims the first generation of Apple’s AR glasses will only act as a display, with a nearby iPhone performing all of the processing, including rendering scenes, providing a data connection, and location-based services like GPS. It is unclear if the accessory would be connected by a cable or take the wireless route and use Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or another similar technology for close-range communications.
In 2023 Apple Wants to Have Zero Net Cash
Apple has US$245 of gross cash and other things like long-term securities. It has US$115 billion in long-term debt. This makes its net cash position US$130 billion, and Apple CFO Luca Maestri has said eventually the company wants to have a net cash neutral position. Tiernan Ray writes about issues that may arise because of this.
Come 2023, will investors balk at an Apple suddenly less generous with its capital returns? And if Apple puts off that day as much as possible, plodding along with no significant increase in capital returns, will it lose the support of those fickle buyers hungry for shares with meaningful dividend buyback increases every year?
Firefox Getting Tor Browser Letterboxing Feature
Firefox is getting a feature from the Tor Browser called letterboxing, making it more difficult for advertisers to see your window size.
There is Only One Blockbuster Left in the World
And then there was one. The Blockbuster video rental store in Bend, Oregon is to be the last one remaining. A store in Morely, Australia announced Thursday that it will be closing its doors to rentals. It will permanently close at the end of March, the Verge reported. It is hardly surprising that the Blockbusters are going given the growth of online streaming, but it is nostalgia-inducing all the same.
For anyone who’s been paralyzed by choice at the sheer volume of films available on Netflix, having your choice limited by a physical selection of discs can feel particularly freeing. After today’s final day of rentals, Australia’s last Blockbuster store will remain open until the end of the month to sell off its stock, including DVDs, Blu-rays, and even “shop fittings and fixtures.”
