AppleInsider: Huawei cloning Apple parts, rewarding employees for tech theft

Huawei cloning Apple parts, rewarding employees for tech theft
By Roger Fingas. Monday, February 18, 2019, 07:27 am PT (10:27 am ET)

In November, a Huawei engineer heading up smartwatch development tracked down a supplier that helps build the Apple Watch's heart rate sensor, The Information said. The person arranged a meeting with the claim he could offer a manufacturing contract, but instead probed for details about the Apple Watch, an anonymous executive at the supplier said.

The engineer was accompanied by four researchers, and together the group is said to have spent an hour and a half asking about the Watch. With nothing given Huawei went silent.

Huawei has reportedly used similar tactics against companies like Cisco, Motorola, and Akhan Semiconductor. The U.S. Justice Department in fact claims that Huawei has a program that rewards employees for stealing data, with better bonuses based on how confidential information is.

This should come as no surprise, given the fact that the Chinese government has been stealing military and technology secrets for decades. And an important reason why nobody should buy Huawei equipment. Getting something for a low price should not be enough justification to reward theft.

YouTube: Imam Tawhidi speaks from Auschwitz

Imam Tawhidi speaks from Auschwitz
Australian Jewish Association, Feb 3, 2019

Have you ever seen an Imam condemn antisemitism from Auschwitz?

WATCH 2 min video.

He also has a message for America where Democrats have recently elected two highly anti-Israel and antisemitic Islamist representatives.

"The US Congress should be focusing on serving US citizens. It should not be a platform for Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar to promote hatred against the Jewish people. My message from Auschwitz!"

I wonder if any mainstream media outlet will run this video.

A transcript of the video, in case it should become unavailable in the future:

Can't Unsee: UI design game

Can't Unsee is a game where you are presented with two different sample screens from iOS-like applications and must choose which one is correct and which one has design flaws.

Things like alignment of objects, shapes, colors, layout, etc. They start out simple, but get much harder as you go on.

h/t to Daring Fireball.

Naked Security: Firefox 66 will silence autoplaying web audio

Firefox 66 will silence autoplaying web audio
06 Feb 2019 by John E Dunn

It’s been on the to-do list for a while, but a new blog by the company has confirmed that from Firefox 66 for desktop and Firefox for Android, due on 19 March, media autoplay of video or audio will be blocked on websites by default.

Great news and it's about flippin' time.

Read the rest of the article for more information.

MacRumors: Hands-On With Dell's Massive 49-Inch 5K Ultrawide Display

Hands-On With Dell's Massive 49-Inch 5K Ultrawide Display
Wednesday January 23, 2019 2:21 pm PST by Juli Clover

Dell recently unveiled the first 49-inch ultrawide 5K monitor with a 32:9 aspect ratio, the result of which is a wide, immersive display with an impressive resolution.

... The U4919DW might look impractical at first glance, but it's essentially designed for people who like to use two 27-inch monitors side by side. It's a dual QHD display with a total resolution of 5120 x 1440 pixels and a curve that makes it a bit easier to see everything at once.

Nice display. Too bad you have to deal with Dell's gang of idiots if you want to buy one. But I'm sure we'll soon see these sold elsewhere (Amazon, probably) in the near future.

MacRumors: UltraViolet Digital Movie Locker Service Will Close on July 31, 2019

UltraViolet Digital Movie Locker Service Will Close on July 31, 2019
Thursday January 31, 2019 6:33 AM PST by Mitchel Broussard

Between January 31 and July 31, 2019, users will be able to keep accessing their UltraViolet Library, purchase new movies, and redeem digital codes. After the shutdown date, all UltraViolet Libraries will automatically close, but the company has detailed a way that users will be able to continue accessing their content.

To do this, UltraViolet is advising users to log into their accounts and verify that they have another retailer linked to their UltraViolet Library, which will allow them to watch their movies and TV shows on another platform after July 31. Retailers include Fandango Now, VUDU, Kaleidescape, Paramount Movies, and Verizon Fios.

The company implores that users do not unlink or close their UltraViolet Library, because UltraViolet and other retailers will continue working together to "maximize your continued access to movies and TV shows" after the shutdown. The company says that "in the majority of cases," movies and TV shows will remain accessible at previously-linked retailers after July 31.

I've always thought streaming media is no substitute for physical media, and here's yet another example why. When you "buy" content to stream, you are simply renting it. Your ability to play the content goes away when the publisher decides to take it away, whether that's because they removed the content, revoked your access or went out of business.

At least legitimate owners of UltraViolet codes also own the corresponding movies on DVD or Blu-Ray. I realize that it is illegal (thanks to brain-dead laws) to rip a movie you have purchased, but in the final analysis, that is the only way to retain control of the content that you purchased.

Jerusalem Post: A cure for cancer? Israeli scientists say they think they found one

A cure for cancer? Israeli scientists say they think they found one
Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman, January 28, 2019 23:14

A small team of Israeli scientists think they might have found the first complete cure for cancer.

“We believe we will offer in a year’s time a complete cure for cancer,” said Dan Aridor, of a new treatment being developed by his company, Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies Ltd. (AEBi). ... “Our cancer cure will be effective from day one, will last a duration of a few weeks and will have no or minimal side-effects at a much lower cost than most other treatments on the market,” Aridor said.

... Aridor, chairman of the board of AEBi and CEO Dr. Ilan Morad, say their treatment, which they call MuTaTo (multi-target toxin) is essentially on the scale of a cancer antibiotic – a disruption technology of the highest order.

... Morad said that so far, the company has concluded its first exploratory mice experiment, which inhibited human cancer cell growth and had no effect at all on healthy mice cells, in addition to several in-vitro trials. AEBi is on the cusp of beginning a round of clinical trials which could be completed within a few years and would make the treatment available in specific cases.

Aridor added: “Our results are consistent and repeatable.”

Incredible. Here's hoping that the treatment works as well on humans as it has on mice.

Physicsfun: The right-pointing Arrow

Right Pointing Arrow
Instagram @physicsfun, April 30, 2018

Right Pointing Arrow: spin this arrow 180 degrees and it still points to the right- only in a mirror will it point left (and only to the left). Another incredible ambiguous object illusion by mathematician Kokichi Sugihara of Meiji University in Japan, the inventor of this illusion and art form. A clever combination of reflection, perspective, and viewing angle produce this striking illusion.

Click through to see the video showing how it works.

Judicial Support: Are Traffic Cameras Rigged Against Drivers?

Are Traffic Cameras Rigged Against Drivers?
January 16, 2019

... One critic of the cameras, an engineer from Sweden, Mats Jarlstrom, who now resides in Oregon, decided to conduct his own investigation on the cameras and he was slapped with a fine from the state for having engaged in unlicensed practice of engineering because he isn’t a licensed professional in the eyes of the state of Oregon.

... Jarlstrom filed a federal lawsuit in defense, he argued that their crackdown equated to a violation of his 1st Amendment Constitutionally-protected right to free speech. After all, shouldn’t free speech apply to discussions about math? It took several years but recently the attorney general in Oregon allegedly admitted that they had violated his free speech rights with their actions. Jarlstrom has partnered with the Institute for Justice and he isn’t over yet because he says that he wants the law declared unconstitutional; he doesn’t want to see others fall victim just like he did for what should be considered protected speech.

We need more people like this in our society. Any time the government can use a legal technicality to silence legitimate criticism of the government (like Oregon fining an individual for making a science-based argument without a license from the state), it is an act of tyranny that can not be allowed to stand in a society that is allegedly based on laws designed to protect our inalienable human rights.

Tough Lawyer Lady: No good deed goes unpunished

No good deed goes unpunished
Tough Lawyer Lady, Faye Riva Cohen, P.C. - January 11, 2019

... The story involves a homeless drug-addicted man, Johnny Bobbitt, who allegedly used his last $20 to help a young lady, Kate McClure, when she allegedly ran out of gas near the spot where Bobbitt was panhandling. In turn, McClure and her boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, started a GoFundMe.com page for the purpose of helping Bobbitt with his drug addiction problems and finding him a home. The public responded graciously and $400,000 was raised to assist Bobbitt.

... This entire story fell apart as a court appointed lawyers to protect Bobbitt’s interests, and an investigation began. It appeared that all three of the players were in cahoots with each other from the beginning, spinning a false story, which disintegrated into three separate versions, placing blame on each other.

Read the full article for the details.

It is very sad when criminals pull scams like this. In addition to conning the public out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, many people will see this story and decide that all of the needy poor are scammers. People legitimately in need of charity will suffer because of what these three people did.