Category: Technology

Google gives her Family Link app (Opens in a new tab) It turned out to be more user-friendly with the addition of more parental control features.

Family Link first launched five years ago as a way for parents to manage how kids use Android devices — setting a screen time limit, for example. Since then, the app hasn’t really gotten much attention from Google, which makes this new wave of updates very welcome. The company states that the developers have taken feedback from parents for the redesign (Opens in a new tab)And the Resulting in three new tabs – Controls, Location, and Features – to better organize the features of the app.

good look

The Controls tab contains legacy Family Link features, such as the ability to set screen time limits for devices or apps, restrict certain types of content, and manage [app] Permissions”. There will be one new addition, today only, that overrides the basic Screen Time widget. For example, if a child has maxed out on the first widget, you can extend the time with the second widget, but only for that day. You’ll have to set it again every day after that.

The location, as the name suggests, will inform a parent of their child’s location by focusing on the device and displaying it on the tab map. It will also inform users of the device’s battery life as well as notify them when the child arrives at or departs from their destination, Similar to Google Maps. Speaking of information, the The Features tab provides an overview of a child’s behavior for parents (Opens in a new tab) on their devices. It will tell you which apps they are using, how long they have been using them, and whether they have tried to access the restricted content. Google states that there are plans to expand the “Grounds” tab to include “more useful insights” but did not provide any details.

We’ve reached out to Google and asked for more information about the future of Family Link. A company spokesperson told us they have nothing more to share at this time.

Updates to the Family Link app will be available on both iOS and Android devices as they roll out in waves, so be sure to keep an eye out for them when they come to your phone. We should mention that too Google launched the desktop version of Family Link (Opens in a new tab) which share all the same features. All you have to do is log in to set up your account.

Google TV changes

Along with Family Link, Google TV will get its share of kid-friendly changes (Opens in a new tab) Including recommendations generated by artificial intelligence and “parent-managed watch lists”. The latter allows parents to add or remove content that their children can view on the service from within the parent’s profile. Google TV will also offer a “moderated experience on YouTube” as a way to introduce children to the platform. Of course, the YouTube experience will have its own set of parental controls.

Google TV updates will launch today on the app and will reach other supported devices like Chromecast with Google TV in the coming weeks. We’re sure parents will appreciate the new Family Link app, but it can’t moderate everything. If you’re interested in stepping up your game, be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best free parental control apps of the year.

[This story contains spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.]

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Lead Writer and EP Jessica Gao He is grateful to the president of Marvel Studios Kevin Fig Chamber and her writers encouraged flipping the script on a typical Marvel ending. Instead of CG facing off with a baddie, Jen Walters/She-Hulk (Tatiana MaslanyI smashed the fourth wall and used the Disney+ interface to end up at Marvel Studios where I discussed the end of the show with an AI inspired by Kevin Feige named KEVIN

Gao wrote no fewer than 20 different versions of the final episode, all of which featured a traditional Marvel ending, but Feige ultimately freed her from that thinking.

It was Kevin who said, ‘There’s no reason to do a big Marvel ending. It did a completely different show than anything we’ve done before, so there’s absolutely no reason to treat it as a typical Marvel movie.” The Hollywood Reporter. “That really got the wheels going about really getting out of the box and doing something more true to this show, as opposed to what is true for a typical Marvel project.”

However, the two designers paid attention to the details about KEVIN as Gao felt the robot should wear a hat reminiscent of Feige’s trademark caps. But Fiji thought the choice didn’t make sense for the robot, prompting Zhao to stick to her guns and even consider exiting the project.

“I was grumpy, and at this big meeting, in front of about 20 people, I said, ‘Kevin, if you won’t let me put a hat on this robot, I quit,’” Zhao recalls, laughing. second, and he just went, ‘Thank you very much, Jessica. You’ve done some great work for us, and we really appreciate everything.’

Fortunately, Gao and Feige can now be laughing at the dust, as visual development supervisor Jackson Sze brokered an immediate commitment.

“Sweet Jackson Sze, who has always been the vis-dev lead and moderator, very kindly suggested that they incorporate something into the robot’s design that would make it look like it was wearing a hat, and that was the perfect compromise.,” says Zhao.

In a recent conversation with THRIn this article, Gao also explains the creative choices behind the Hulk’s son Skaar, as well as Blonsky’s and Wong’s latest prison arrest.

you too Tell I’ve already liked to bully Kevin Feige, and I have to imagine that the epilogue took that statement into account on some level. So how did Kevin first react to switching to artificial intelligence?

(Laugh.) He was very supportive. He was all for it, and this scene very much reflects the relationship I have with him. A lot of the conversation in this scene is from conversations I had with him, but the sticking point we had about this whole thing was whether or not the robot would wear a hat. In the first draft, the robot was described as meeting Akira with an AI robot/brain similar to the HAL 9000, and the text specifically said it was wearing a small black baseball cap on top. And the real-life Kevin said, “Well, that doesn’t make sense. Why is the robot wearing a hat?” And I said, “That’s the logical problem you have with this Kevin?” and not this [She-Hulk] The final 4th wall crashes, comes to Marvel Studios, and struggles her way to meet you as a real robot, but is that a fact that a robot shouldn’t wear a hat? ‘ And he said, ‘Yes, that makes no sense. So she shouldn’t have a hat.” So I was furious, and at this big meeting, in front of nearly 20 people, I said, “Kevin, if you don’t let me put a hat on this robot, I quit.” (Laugh.) And then he paused for a split second, and just went, “Thank you very much, Jessica. You’ve done some great work for us, and we really appreciate everything.” (Laugh.)

My God.

Then the cute Jackson Sze, who was the lead developer and moderator, very kindly suggested that they incorporate something into the robot’s design that would make it look like it was wearing a hat, and that was the perfect flexibility. And Kevin was like, “Okay, that’s fine because that makes sense.” And I said, “Okay, great. As long as that makes sense.”

Breaking the fourth wall has always been built into character and show, but what is the origin story behind this degree of fourth wall breakage?

It’s been a very, very long way. We’ve gone through many different versions of this ending. I probably wrote at least 20 copies. At first, I took it very wrong, thinking, “Okay, now that it’s the end, I have to make it a Marvel show. That’s the point where I have to follow the Marvel formula. We should enjoy the show. We have to do something different. But At the end of the day, there’s a certain way Marvel likes to end things, and that’s what I have to do.” So I tried several versions of it and had a big battle with the big bad, but nothing felt right. There were two-digit versions, but nothing went right.

Then it was Kevin who said, “There’s no reason to do a big Marvel ending. This isn’t a Marvel movie. I did a completely different show than anything we’ve done before, so there’s absolutely no reason to treat it as a typical Marvel movie.” Do the thing that this always will be.” It was very liberating and inspiring. That’s really what got the wheels about really getting out of the box and doing something more true to this show, as opposed to what’s true for a typical Marvel project.

It’s commendable that Marvel had a sense of humor about making Jen go through a list of criticisms and frequently asked questions about the MCU. Are you surprised that you got away with certain things?

Absolutely. I’m surprised I got away with most of that conversation, but that’s the great thing about Kevin. He loves to have fun, and has a sense of humor, both about himself and about Marvel. And just in general.

Since I last spoke to you, Kevin has hired someone else Ricky and Morty clerk [Jeff Loveness for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty]. I think Jeff is number three with you and Michael Waldron. Have you asked Kevin about his concerns with you and your peers?

(Laugh.) It’s a joke that this is where they go for my book, but it works for them. If it isn’t broken, why is it fixed?

In the eighth episode, she played the role of reckless I’ve recreated some of Daredevil’s old moves, and I’ve also honored his fight sequences in the lobby. Is it the same as Murdock died?Charlie Cox), only in a new path?

We have never, categorically, been asked to deal with it one way or the other. The approach with Marvel has always been that they don’t really set restrictions before we start working on something. They just let us show what we want to do, and say yes or no. So basically all of this is just a result of getting carte blanche to show us what we want, and then they’ll just say yes.

I set up leads with Hulk and Skaar, as well as Blonsky and Wong. How much has Marvel told you where these characters are headed?

Well, with Blonsky and the Wongers, it was because it wasn’t right for Blonsky to be in jail. He took personal responsibility, and ultimately ended up being mostly good. But no matter how good or bad he did on the show, his friendship with Jen was real. His relationship with Jane was real, and when he helped her during the retreat, it was also real. So because they have this relationship and this intimacy through therapy, we didn’t want to see him locked up forever. So this was really just to give Blonsky a happy ending.

And with Skaar, we’ve talked a lot about a big, fun cameo that we can drop as a tag at the end, or do something Marvel and tease a new character. This would have been awesome too. But in the end, it was Kevin who decided he wanted to introduce Scar. So you have to ask Kevin himself about his plans for it.

Well, congratulations on a great series, and I hope you bully Kevin on Green Light season two.

(Laugh.) Thank you so much.

***
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Available now on Disney+. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Microsoft has acknowledged a known issue that prevents some users from creating files Online exchange Outlook for Windows mailboxes – but didn’t provide any timeline for fixing them.

As I mentioned Computer (Opens in a new tab)Microsoft has subscriber (Opens in a new tab) Manual fix for IT administrators until a code fix is ​​released. The company also said that the problem with Outlook, its hosted Email service For businesses, error codes 603 stems after the configuration process failed while pinging Outlook.

A variety of Outlook clients are affected, including Outlook 2021, Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, and Outlook for Microsoft 365.

Microsoft outlook errors

Microsoft Exchange Online mailboxes are an enterprise-wide email system similar to the service you provide Google workspace. While it’s not the only thing Microsoft relies on for its revenue, the fact that it brings in no money at all may be why Microsoft is so keen on providing a solution.

Microsoft claims that the root of the problem is that “Get-Mailbox will direct SharingPolicy to a deleted object.” While this is a serious issue that might benefit from a hotfix, Outlook has had more than its fair share of significant bug fixes in recent weeks for known issues since August.

Earlier in October 2022, Microsoft rolled out a fix for Outlook for Microsoft 365, after it was frozen and crashed after launch. In early August, a bug that was crashing Outlook email clients when reading emails containing schedules (particularly Uber receipts) was also fixed.

However, Microsoft is not always very keen on debugging its software.

In the same month, it was left to fine patching service 0 patch to me Unofficial fix release for a problem that allowed cyber attackers to bypass Windows’ Mark of the Web (MotW) security mechanism, while a researcher accused Microsoft of “spotting” the security community after ignoring its efforts to uncover the problem.

While Microsoft continues to pursue issues with Outlook, the lack of estimated time to arrive to fix code may generate similar feelings from IT administrators.

Imagine that your identity was stolen or misconfigured online, resulting in serious personal damage. The reason was a bug rooted in artificial intelligence (AI) technology, equipment with no name or face.

So, who is to blame? Is it the company hosting the technology, the country you requested, the worker who created a particular piece of code, or someone else entirely?

This Clue is a game that has had and will continue to have massive consequences and questions for years to come. However, UNU law professor Sonia Gibson Rankin is one step closer to discovering the answers.

“What happens when a country uses an algorithm to help society and actually harms society?” asked Gibson Rankin.

In a soon-to-be-published paper with the New York University Law Review titled “MiDAS Touch: Atuahene’s ‘Stategraft and the Effects of Unregulated AI’ Gibson Rankin explores the Michigan Integrated Data Automated System (MiDAS) incident.

To combat the billions of dollars owed to the federal government set by the Great Recession, Michigan set its sights on modernizing and reducing what was seen as an unnecessary expense from the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) with MiDAS in 2013.

The state spent hundreds of years and $47 million on this program. The goal of MiDAS was to automatically detect those who commit unemployment fraud, as well as determine eligibility for unemployment, track cases, and monitor income tax refunds.

From October 2013 to September. In 2016, MiDAS did its job – in fact, it found fraud cases tripled to over 25,000 in just one year. By two years, that total number exceeded 40,000. With unemployment fraud claims stretching far back to date, tens of thousands of people have faced a 400% higher end than usual. This generated $96 million, a glowing total that would have resulted in Michigan’s huge debt.

The only problem is that 93% of these accusations were false.

“The concern with applying AI in societies without proper supervision is that by the time we understand the damage has been done, it has already affected hundreds of thousands of people,” said Gibson Rankin.

There is something within AI that has bypassed the due process of individuals who were absolutely right. It was given permission to automatically find people, file applications with the IRS to receive wages, or deduct tax returns, regardless of how long they were unemployed, or how long they had been unemployed.

When Michigan citizens called to find out why this was happening, no one could give them an answer. Likewise, state officials found no evidence of fraud in the vast majority of cases.

“When people called, there was no one who could explain what happened or why The response is basically AI saying you did this.

Initially, the defendants turned to the UIA for answers. The UIA looked at the state. The country turned to technology vendors Fast Enterprises and SAS Institute. They turned to management consultant CSG Government Solutions.

They’ve all faced the same predicament: a guessing game who is to blame.

“If you stalk the state, they say AI did it. If you stalk the third-party seller, there’s a clause to protect them, saying the state made the decision. It leaves the actual person who has been harmed by AI without a lot of options,” she said.

After several trips to court, the state of Michigan agreed to withdraw $20.8 million so far In compensation to compensate the money deducted from the falsely accused of fraud.

That wasn’t enough, according to Gibson Rankin. Many of those affected felt the same.

in Kaho vs. SAS Analytics, The state felt that compensation was procured by granting refunds. The plaintiffs argued that their due process rights were violated beyond financial resources as they had to disentangle themselves from the fraud allegations.

“How do I give back or address the fact that you may have to file for bankruptcy? How do I address the fact that while all this was happening, you may have lost a new job because you have been labeled in the systems as committing fraud if Unemployment.” “How do I address the fact that families may have broken up – that people have been driven from their homes because of the name tags?”

The Michigan Supreme Court has sided with the plaintiffs, saying that trying to use an “artificial intelligence made me do this” defense turned out to be insufficient.

Not only that, but the state is still working on making the rest of the payments.

As residents work for their sanctuary, questions remain for legal minds like Gibson Rankin.

How do you prevent the biases that exist in artificial intelligence to begin with? Can you really get tech paradoxical as a result? How far will artificial intelligence go unanswered?

“When technology is unregulated, it will thrive in all kinds of unique innovations. But there are some parts of it when disorganization leads to serious disaster.” – Sonia Gibson Rankin

In March 2022, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer planned to allocate $75 million to replace the MiDAS system, in search of a “human-centred” system.

Gibson-Rankin believes that from now on, there must be groups and discussions in place to answer these questions before AI advances too big and into the weeds.

“I think we’re going to see a lot of what the AI ​​community does as it continues to operate underground, where people can’t unload the source of the damage,” she said.

She is also working with other professors on the potential development of a computational justice course at UNM.

“It’s going to take all of us sitting at the table to get it right from the start,” she said.

You can read this full research paper and learn more about the MiDAS incident by By following the link here.

Electric scooter company Bird continues to downsize as it has announced that its devices will be moving out of several regions in an effort to stay afloat.

The The company has stated that it will be fully exited (Opens in a new tab) Germany, Sweden and Norway as well as several “small and medium-sized markets” across the US, Europe, Middle East and Africa, although it did not mention exact locations. However, we do know one: Atchison, KS, which recently revealed (Opens in a new tab) This bird stops all operations in the city indefinitely. The city goes on to say that Bird did not see Atchison as a good location to “support him [its] requirements in the near term to build a permanent business.” This reasoning is in line with the company’s official statement on downsizing.

low support

Baird states that the reason for her exit was due to the “lack of a strong regulatory framework” in local areas. The company claims that some sites are not as favorable to the e-scooter business model as others. Support is available in some cities but not others. Bird then goes on to blame the large number of vehicles in these areas leading to “crowded streets,” along with intense competition from competitors as other reasons for store closures.

From here, the company will start getting rid of cities it considers unviable to focus instead on cities with the “right regulatory framework and business environment”. Unfortunately, this downsizing will affect Bird’s staff in these areas. While he doesn’t say it explicitly in the ad, Bird hints at these people losing their jobs.

The ad misses any mention of fleet managers. According to Bird (Opens in a new tab), these are the local businessmen and corporations who operate fleets of company e-scooters in their local area. The managers pay a fee to the company and in return they can earn income from the machines. Presumably they lose their jobs as well, which could take them the hardest blow from anyone. The The Fleet Manager program has been criticized in the past (Opens in a new tab) To put them in thousands of dollars in debt to machines they would never own. Something similar could happen with fleet managers losing their business overnight.

We’ve reached out to Bird to see if they’d like to make a statement. A spokesperson for the company came back to us and basically reiterated what Bird said in his announcement: that it would focus “toward cities and countries that have put in place the right regulatory framework and business environment…”

last trend

Unfortunately, Bird’s downsizing continues this year’s trend of tech companies laying off employees. In fact, back in june (Opens in a new tab)The company laid off 23 percent of its employees as a way to cut costs. Something similar is happening at Microsoft with the company laying off some of its employees, although he did not say how many. (One anonymous source claims that about 1,000 jobs will get the axe.) In a similar vein, companies like Meta have enacted hiring freezes as a way to stay afloat in these tough times.

The particularly unfortunate thing about downsizing birds is that it affects the customer just as much because people lose out on transportation. If you find bird scooters disappearing in your area, we recommend leaving TechRadar’s Best E-Scooter 2022 List To get an idea for a more permanent solution.

I have hired Rivian Former CEO of Waymo James Philbin to lead autonomy and artificial intelligence at the automaker, a new role signaling the company’s interest in automated driving technology.

Philbin served as Waymo’s Director of Software Engineering for two years. Prior to that, Philbin worked for five years at Amazon’s self-driving company Zoox, where he led computer vision and perception.

“As we look at the future roadmap and integrated role of AI/ML, James’ arrival could not have come at a more impactful time,” founder and CEO Rivian Scaringe wrote in a LinkedIn post. Mail.

Dread repeated this point Wednesday while on stage at TechCrunch disabled. Scaringe said he expects Tier 2 and Tier 3 systems that handle many driving tasks while still requiring a human driver to take over if necessary, and will improve over time and grow faster than heavy Tier 4 systems that are designed to handle all devices. . from driving under certain conditions.

“I think what we’ve seen happen with hardware heavy systems is that it requires a lot of capital and the roadmap is much longer than anticipated,” Scaringe said.

Companies such as Aurora, Argo AI, Cruise, Waymo, and Zoox have spent billions developing self-driving ride-and-delivery vehicles, but they have yet to be commercialized on a large scale.

Meanwhile, “hardware-restricted” vehicles, or vehicles with fewer sensors and lower levels of autonomy, are present in hundreds of thousands of consumer and commercial vehicles today.

“So there is this great learning that you get from the deployed fleet. And even though there are less hardware, the role that AI and machine learning (machine learning) can play in camera training, and therefore, your planning algorithms are really very powerful,” he said. Scaring. “So our vision as a company is really a more hardware-constrained system that can be applied across a lot of vehicles with millions and millions of miles, a platform that will have better potential in the long run.”

Over time, Scaringe said Rivian will add new sensing modalities to its vehicles. I added that as chipmakers increase computing capacity, the automaker could expand to level 4 autonomy.

Improving Rivian’s freelance jobs is not just a move to attract customers who are looking for their next alternative Tesla Autopilot. Scaringe said Rivian’s insurance products are already motivating the use of Driver+, Rivian’s brand of advanced driver assistance system.

“The reason for that is because he’s so much better than the best human being,” Scaringe said. “The car won’t be checking its phone for a text, and it won’t be distracted by something outside the window. So the safety aspect of moving to Level 2, Level 3 systems that purposely push towards more and more of the time the car itself is driving is helpful and real.”

Mozilla Firefox version 106 has been released, which includes much more functionality for internet browserbuild in PDF Viewer.

inside Blog Posts (Opens in a new tab) On the Mozilla website, Firefox developers have announced vital features for any PDF viewer, such as text annotations, graphics, and signatures, all of which can now be added to PDFs viewed directly within the browser.

She claimed that the new features would increase the usability of PDF in the browser, and reduce paper waste. The changes are worded as a resolution of issues with “PDF forms you receive either from your doctor or another provider that you have to print and submit again”.

Firefox 106 . updates

PDF files have served their purpose of protecting the data they contain from unwanted modifications, which is great if you want to create a file for viewing only, but not so great if you want to lock the formatting across all devices while maintaining access to the modification.

Setting Firefox as the default browser on Windows devices will also make it the default application for opening PDF files as well.

fire foxThe in-house Javascript-based PDF tool was a bit late to the party in 2021 when it unlocked native form-filling capabilities in version 93, but the latest feature additions for PDFs are bringing Firefox closer to becoming reliable. Adobe Acrobat alternative.

Other improvements to the latest version of the web browser include a new private browsing mode shortcut button, which can be installed on the desktop, and some updated color wallpapers that Mozilla Firefox Colorways calls. according to Firefox 106 release notes (Opens in a new tab)These new designs will be available until January 16th.

Firefox will now also display 25 recently closed tabs when you open a new window, along with three of your most recent active tabs from other devices to help you pick up where you left off on a different screen, in a similar way to Apple’s Handoff app.

And those who are looking for another anonymous browser To get around Firefox you might want to reconsider, because the new shortcut makes it even easier to start in your private browsing session.

The 1970s were notorious for many things, but one achievement somewhat forgotten in history was the good-sounding – and great-looking – hi-fi equipment produced during that era.

Audio companies like JBL, Yamaha, and Marantz took a peek at classic ’70s speaker designs and subwoofers to create new versions with the same looks but updated interiors. And now NAD has joined the same retro-themed party with its limited edition C 3050 LE Stereophonic Amplifier.

With a walnut veneer wood case and gold LED-lit VU gauges, one for each of the left and right channels, the C 3050 LE has the warm and welcoming look of the era’s best all-in-one speakers, and would be a perfect match for many The best stereo speakers. The amp was produced to celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary, launched in 1972, and will be manufactured in a limited edition of 1,972 numbered units.

Whereas compact NAD amplifiers in the 1970s had a power rating of 20 watts per channel (determined across the full frequency range, which was a uniquely consumer-friendly approach at the time) the C 3050 LE was rated at 100 watts per channel using the same approach” Full disclosure” that the company has been using for decades.

Features include Wi-Fi streaming via the app-controlled multi-room BluOS platform, Air Play 2 And support for aptX HD Bluetooth bi-directional, the latter to connect to Best wireless headphonesHDMI eARC input. The vintage and all-new C 3050 LE also features a phono stage for connecting one Best turntables and headphone amplifier to connect best earbuds.

The 3,050 EGP price is, you guessed it, $1,972 / £1,756 / about AU$3,530. The limited edition built-in speaker will go on sale at select NAD retailers starting in mid-November.

Analysis: For hi-fi, old becomes new again

The 50th anniversary provides a great opportunity to look back at your past, and NAD, the innovative brand that consistently produces affordable ingredients backed by the company’s trusted Full Disclosure strength ratings, has plenty to brag about.

Throughout most of its history, NAD’s built-in loudspeakers have had a basic, conservative look—they’ve been there to compose music, not drool and drool at it. The Limited Edition C 3050 LE, on the other hand, hits the high points of ’70s hi-fi design—large knobs and buttons, warm-looking VU gauges, and sleek wood exterior—and is definitely Worth drooling.

This new nostalgic trend in the hi-fi world – along with the aforementioned companies, brands like Mission, Wharfedale, KLH and NAD’s sister brand PSB have all released speakers with a vintage-inspired look – is a very positive development. This is because it allows designers to tap into the elegance of the golden age of the Hi-Fi stage while producing amplifiers and subwoofers that take advantage of the tremendous technical advances that have occurred since the originals were produced and sold.

For anyone missing out on a compact, limited-acting NAD amplifier, the good news is that a standard C 3050 version with similar specifications and many of the same features will also be available, sold through NAD’s entire global retail network. At $1,299/£1,160/about AU$2,075, it’ll be less expensive than the Limited Edition, but you can be sure it won’t have the same great looks.