1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, 3 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio 4 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: and I love all things tech, and it's time for 5 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: the tech News for Thursday, October twenty one, twenty one. 6 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: Recording late today because it was a pretty hectic day. 7 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:33,240 Speaker 1: I actually can see Tari from where I'm sitting right 8 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: now because once again I'm actually in the office in 9 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: the studio using my own mic. But I'm in the studio, 10 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: and so if it sounds a little different, that's why. 11 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: But let's get to the news. Yesterday's episode was about 12 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: the metaverse and what that means. The idea for that 13 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: episode actually came from the first news item I want 14 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 1: to cover today, which is that Facebook, the company, plans 15 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: to announce a rebrand for the company itself. Now, this 16 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:08,039 Speaker 1: doesn't mean that Facebook, the social networking site is going 17 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:13,200 Speaker 1: to change names. The company that owns Facebook the social 18 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:19,480 Speaker 1: network site, as well as Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Oculus, 19 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: is going to get a new brand name. The Verge 20 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,840 Speaker 1: reports that we should expect an announcement about the new 21 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: name no later than next week and possibly sooner than that, 22 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: but that the brand name itself remains a secret kept 23 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: only by a few top level executives, which is probably, 24 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: you know, a good idea on Facebook's behalf, considering how 25 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 1: many leaks that company has sprung. Now, this hasn't stopped 26 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: speculation about what that name might be, something that perhaps 27 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: because Facebook is gearing up to create a metaverse platform, 28 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: that the new name might relate to that. For example, 29 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: Facebook might adopt the company name Horizon, which references a 30 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: sort of proto metaverse that Facebook has in development. But 31 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: you might ask, why is Facebook even making this change 32 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: in the first place. Well, in part it might be 33 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 1: to indicate that the company is about more than just Facebook, 34 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: the social network. But I think another big part of 35 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: it is that the Facebook brand has more than a 36 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: little tarnish on it right now, with various investigations into 37 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:31,079 Speaker 1: the company proceeding around the world and employees speaking out 38 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 1: against the company. I'm sure that by this time next 39 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: week I'll be reporting on whatever the new name is, 40 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: along with you know, whatever else the company has to 41 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: announce around that time. Speaking of tarnish on Facebook, yesterday, 42 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:49,920 Speaker 1: the Attorney General for Washington, D C. Carl Racing announced 43 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:53,799 Speaker 1: that he was adding Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to a 44 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: lawsuit that centers on the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Now, in 45 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: case you aren't familiar with what that is, that scandal 46 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:07,360 Speaker 1: relates to this analytics marketing company called Cambridge Analytica that 47 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: focused on providing support for political campaigns, particularly for for 48 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: right wing political campaigns. Investigative journalists discovered that Cambridge Analytica 49 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:22,640 Speaker 1: was apparently depending upon a loophole that was in Facebook's 50 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: application programming interface. Once upon a time, UH, the company 51 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: developed a survey tool. Actually, they adapted a survey tool 52 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: that encouraged people to engage in the survey in return 53 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: for you know, like a monetary reward. But this loophole 54 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: in the development part of the a p I allowed 55 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 1: the app developer to see not only the personal information 56 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: of whomever it was who took the survey, but also 57 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: access the information of all of that person's contacts on Facebook, 58 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: at least so far as those users had shared with 59 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 1: the survey taker. So let me explain what that means. 60 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: Let's say that I decided to take this survey, so 61 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: I go and I granted the permissions that it was requesting, 62 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: and I go take the survey, and you and I 63 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 1: happened to be friends. Well, normally Cambridge Analytica wouldn't be 64 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 1: able to see your information just by default, especially if 65 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 1: you had anything set to friends only. But because you're 66 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:27,599 Speaker 1: friends with me, and because the app had these wide, 67 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:32,599 Speaker 1: widespread permissions that allowed it to access various pieces of information, 68 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:34,880 Speaker 1: it would mean that Cambridge Analytica would be able to 69 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: see just as much of your information as you allowed 70 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: me to see. Facebook subsequently patched that loophole, but the 71 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 1: damage was already done. Meanwhile, Cambridge Analytica was also implicated 72 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:51,160 Speaker 1: in various schemes to spread misinformation and to manipulate voters. Uh, 73 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:54,840 Speaker 1: there was this whole story about Cambridge Analytica targeting people 74 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:59,840 Speaker 1: who didn't support Cambridge analyticas clients, in other words, people 75 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 1: who would have voted against the political candidates that Cambridge 76 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 1: Analytica was trying to help, and then Cambridge Analytica was 77 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: using methods to try and discourage those people from voting 78 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,719 Speaker 1: at all. Now, all of this happened several years ago, 79 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:17,480 Speaker 1: actually leading up to the election in the United States. 80 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: The lawsuit itself has its origins in the government charges 81 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: that Facebook violated the terms of the Consumer Protection Procedures 82 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,040 Speaker 1: Act and it should be held accountable with the goal 83 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: of finding Facebook for damages. This, by the way, is 84 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 1: a civil case, not a criminal case. Facebook tried to 85 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:39,920 Speaker 1: get this lawsuit dismissed in twenty nineteen, but that effort failed. 86 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: The judge denied the request, and now Zuckerberg has been 87 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 1: named as a defendant in the case. The company continues 88 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: to deny the charges, so we'll have to wait and 89 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: see where this goes next. Now. I promised that we 90 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:57,840 Speaker 1: are going to talk about stuff that isn't just Facebook 91 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:02,599 Speaker 1: in today's episode. However, news about Facebook keeps breaking even 92 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 1: as I was trying to put this episode together. Today, 93 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: Facebook's oversight panel announced that it is looking into an 94 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: alleged system in which Facebook gives a free pass to 95 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: certain v I p UH Facebook accounts. So the implication 96 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:23,200 Speaker 1: is that Facebook ignores incidents in which these accounts violate 97 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:27,520 Speaker 1: various policies. This investigation follows the series of Wall Street 98 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: Journal reports that revealed the contents of some of the 99 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 1: thousands of documents that the newspaper received from whistleblower Francis Hogan. 100 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 1: The You Know Facebook has a system that they call 101 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: cross check or sometimes x check. It's sometimes written as 102 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:44,359 Speaker 1: x x check, but I think they refer to it 103 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:47,440 Speaker 1: as cross check. And according to the Wall Street Journal, 104 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: this system essentially covers for high profile accounts and and 105 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 1: doesn't count violations of Facebook policy against those accounts. So 106 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: the Oversight bore It has stated that, you know, it 107 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 1: has the responsibility to review Facebook's moderation policies. Like the 108 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:09,039 Speaker 1: whole purpose that the Oversight Board was put together was 109 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: to hold Facebook accountable and to say, all right, what 110 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:16,280 Speaker 1: are your policies, Are they fair and are you actually 111 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: carrying them out equitably across the platform? And they're saying 112 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 1: Facebook has failed to share all the information needed for 113 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,760 Speaker 1: the Oversight Board to make that assessment, which you know, 114 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:35,520 Speaker 1: that's a problem. So this seems fairly straight forward. We 115 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: will have to wait and see what Facebook's response is 116 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 1: to it. However, security company Sofoss reports that scammers using 117 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: social engineering have stolen more than a million dollars from victims, 118 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: using a combination of dating apps and bogus cryptocurrency apps 119 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 1: to do it, Apple apps, I should add, so first 120 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:03,040 Speaker 1: let's define what social engineering is. Essentially, this is when 121 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:05,400 Speaker 1: you try and pull a fast one on someone, you're 122 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 1: tricking someone into trusting you and then you know, giving 123 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: you access to a system or information. So the classic 124 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: example is someone contacts a person who works for a 125 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: specific company and they pose as I T personnel and 126 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: they say, I need to have access to your computer. 127 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: I need to install, you know, a new program or something. 128 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 1: But the whole point is just to gain access to 129 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 1: the system. Well, in this case, the scammers were using 130 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,560 Speaker 1: popular dating apps like Tender and Bumble to set up 131 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:41,439 Speaker 1: profiles that looked legit and then fish for victims. Once 132 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 1: someone expressed interest, the scammers would kind of string the 133 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: mark along for a little bit, trying to convince them 134 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:52,320 Speaker 1: to download a cryptocurrency app that looked legit but was 135 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 1: actually a scam. Uh. In fact, these were apps that 136 00:08:55,280 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 1: made it through Apple's famous restrictive ecosyste for apps. By 137 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 1: using a loophole, the scammers would convince their marks to 138 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:08,559 Speaker 1: invest money, even just small amounts of money into the app, 139 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:12,440 Speaker 1: supposedly buying into cryptocurrency, and as long as the target 140 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: was investing money, everything was cool. But the moment someone 141 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 1: tried to retrieve their money or otherwise shut down their account. 142 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:23,440 Speaker 1: The scammers would close off access to the money that 143 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:26,320 Speaker 1: had been quote unquote invested in the app and just 144 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:30,200 Speaker 1: steal the money for themselves. Worse, the scammers use something 145 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 1: called Apple's Enterprise or Corporate Signature designation that's intended to 146 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 1: let app developers test out apps with a small group 147 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:43,320 Speaker 1: of test users in the development process. The whole idea 148 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:46,480 Speaker 1: is it gives developers a way of doing quality assurance 149 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 1: testing of their apps before they submit the app to 150 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:53,960 Speaker 1: the Apple App Store for consideration. So these apps never 151 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:56,160 Speaker 1: went into the Apple App Store, they never had to 152 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:59,280 Speaker 1: face that scrutiny. They were taking advantage of the fact 153 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:04,679 Speaker 1: that Apple allows developers to test their work before submitting it. So, 154 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:07,559 Speaker 1: in other words, you know, they were just using a 155 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 1: work around and convincing people to download apps not by 156 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:14,200 Speaker 1: going through the App Store, but downing them directly through 157 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: this enterprise or corporate program, then tricking them into investing 158 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:24,560 Speaker 1: money into these you know, cryptocurrency schemes um so very 159 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:29,199 Speaker 1: clever work around one that's not necessarily easy to counteract. 160 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:32,920 Speaker 1: This particular scheme originated out of Asia, but so FOS 161 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:35,760 Speaker 1: says that it has detected victims in places like Europe 162 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:39,240 Speaker 1: and the United States. So if you use dating apps, 163 00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 1: be on the look for any matches who are urging 164 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:46,720 Speaker 1: you to download cryptocurrency apps and make investments. So FoST 165 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 1: has also called an Apple to alert users about this 166 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:54,920 Speaker 1: enterprise program and how a bad actor could potentially use 167 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:57,800 Speaker 1: that to convince folks to install apps that haven't actually 168 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:02,719 Speaker 1: gone through Apple's review process. Like the fact that loophole exists, 169 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:05,520 Speaker 1: I mean it's needed, Like you need to have a 170 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,360 Speaker 1: way to test your your app before you submit it 171 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: so that you can make sure you work out any 172 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 1: bugs before Apple gets hold of it. But you need 173 00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 1: to also have a way to keep a lid on 174 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:19,720 Speaker 1: that so that people don't just create bogus apples apps 175 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:22,680 Speaker 1: and make it look like it's a legit thing and 176 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 1: then convince people to download it without going through the 177 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: Apple Store. That that is the real issue. We have 178 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:30,360 Speaker 1: some more stories to cover, but before we get to that, 179 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:41,760 Speaker 1: let's take a quick break. Bloomberg reports that PayPal is 180 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:45,439 Speaker 1: looking into making a possible acquisition that of the social 181 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 1: media company Pinterest. Bloomberg reports that PayPal reached out to 182 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,440 Speaker 1: Pinterest to see if the platform would consider a buyout 183 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:55,880 Speaker 1: with a reported offer of around seventy dollars per share 184 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:59,560 Speaker 1: of pinterest stock. Now, some quick math tells us that 185 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 1: this value pinterest at just under forty billion dollars, which 186 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:07,600 Speaker 1: is a princely sum, And currently pinterest stock is trading 187 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:11,120 Speaker 1: at just under sixty two dollars a share, so it's 188 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:14,040 Speaker 1: an offer that is above the market value of a 189 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:17,959 Speaker 1: share of pinterest. But however, you know, pinterest stock had 190 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:22,840 Speaker 1: reached as high as almost ninety dollars a share over 191 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 1: the past year, but more recently it has been trading 192 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:29,560 Speaker 1: around the sixty dollar range. And you might wonder why PayPal, 193 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:32,960 Speaker 1: which is most known as being a financial services company, 194 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 1: would be interested in Pinterest known as a social media 195 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:40,679 Speaker 1: platform with a bulletin board like interface. But pinterest has 196 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:44,280 Speaker 1: been incorporating e commerce elements into its platform over the 197 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 1: last couple of years, creating ways for users to shop 198 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:51,680 Speaker 1: for items through pinterest itself. And since pinterest is all about, 199 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: you know, creating boards with aesthetically pleasing and thematically relevant images, 200 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: I mean a lot of Like interior design companies can 201 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 1: use Pinterest to to highlight how various components can go 202 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:08,080 Speaker 1: together to make a particular aesthetic. Well, you can see 203 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 1: how a shopping system integrated with a financial company like 204 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:15,520 Speaker 1: PayPal would be a really powerful tool in order to 205 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:19,439 Speaker 1: market stuff to folks. Now, so far, neither pinterest nor 206 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:23,120 Speaker 1: PayPal has responded to journalist requests for common about this 207 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:27,400 Speaker 1: potential acquisition, So there's no way of knowing if pinterest 208 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:30,000 Speaker 1: is actually considering the offer. I mean, if you want 209 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 1: to be really clear about it, there's no confirmation that 210 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:36,280 Speaker 1: an actual offer even happened. But I have no reason 211 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:40,320 Speaker 1: to doubt Bloomberg's reporting on this. The Boring Company, as in, 212 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:44,880 Speaker 1: you know, the company that makes tunnels most often associated 213 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 1: with hyper loop like projects UH and also associated with 214 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 1: Elon Musk, has cleared one hurdle between it and the 215 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:59,040 Speaker 1: goal of building out an underground transportation system in Las Vegas, Nevada. 216 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:02,800 Speaker 1: The altimate goal is to establish a system that includes 217 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:06,680 Speaker 1: fifty one separate stations, many of which would connect to 218 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:09,679 Speaker 1: casinos along the Las Vegas Strip, as well as other 219 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:13,680 Speaker 1: notable stops like Allegiance Stadium, the Las Vegas Convention Center, 220 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:18,720 Speaker 1: the Fremont Street Experience, the airport, and more. Now, the 221 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:22,920 Speaker 1: hurdle was the approval of the Clark County Commissioner's office 222 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:26,080 Speaker 1: to go ahead with this. The proposed system would span 223 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 1: the border between Clark County and the city of Las 224 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:32,840 Speaker 1: Vegas itself. Fun fact, the Las Vegas Strip is mostly 225 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:36,200 Speaker 1: in Clark County, it's not within the actual city limits 226 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:39,840 Speaker 1: of Las Vegas proper. The company will need to apply 227 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:43,080 Speaker 1: for permits before actually beginning construction on the system, and 228 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:47,480 Speaker 1: according to the boring company, the schedule would be really 229 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:52,120 Speaker 1: super aggressive. Representatives say that the plan is to have 230 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:56,560 Speaker 1: up to ten stations completed and connected within the first 231 00:14:56,960 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 1: six six months of the project breaking ground, which is 232 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 1: really aggressive, and that the whole thing should be completed 233 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:09,400 Speaker 1: within three years. And that seems unbelievably optimistic to me. 234 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 1: But then what do I know. Well, one thing I 235 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:15,520 Speaker 1: do know is that the existing tunnel system in Las 236 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: Vegas that was created by the boring company, the Las 237 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:23,520 Speaker 1: Vegas Convention Center Loop, has fallen well below the projected 238 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:26,400 Speaker 1: performance the company had claimed at the start of the project. 239 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 1: So the loop connects the South Hall, the West Hall, 240 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:33,240 Speaker 1: and the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. 241 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:38,160 Speaker 1: These are three huge buildings that have exhibition spaces inside 242 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:40,600 Speaker 1: of them. I know it best from my visits to 243 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 1: c e s over the years, and getting from one 244 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:46,560 Speaker 1: to another can take a while. Like, if it's empty, 245 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:48,800 Speaker 1: it might take you fifteen minutes to walk from one 246 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:51,520 Speaker 1: to the next. If it's full, it might take you 247 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:53,720 Speaker 1: forty five minutes to walk from one to the next 248 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 1: because of the crowds. So if things are really busy 249 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:00,760 Speaker 1: and it's a congested event, an other way of getting 250 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: between the different buildings is useful, especially if you've got 251 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,320 Speaker 1: like meetings back to back that are across the convention 252 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:11,560 Speaker 1: center from each other. So the idea was to build 253 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 1: this underground tunnel loop system with two one way paths, 254 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 1: you know, one going from one side of the convention 255 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:24,479 Speaker 1: center together and the other one coming back. And the 256 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 1: boring company originally predicted that this particular system would be 257 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:30,920 Speaker 1: able to move up to four thousand, four hundred people 258 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: per hour. However, as it's in its current incarnation, it 259 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 1: can move fewer than six hundred people per hour. That's 260 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: if it's going at full capacity. Uh. And the experience 261 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:45,880 Speaker 1: that you know, Las Vegas got was much less futuristic 262 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 1: than what was originally proposed. The idea was that was 263 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:52,080 Speaker 1: going to be autonomous vehicles taking people from point A 264 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 1: to point B. Instead, it's people driving Tesla vehicles through 265 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:00,400 Speaker 1: a tunnel and ferrying you from point A point be 266 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:05,240 Speaker 1: kind of like a very limited taxicab. Although the convention 267 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:09,080 Speaker 1: center version of this is operated free of charge for 268 00:17:09,080 --> 00:17:13,399 Speaker 1: for actual writers. The full Las Vegas system, well, if 269 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:15,359 Speaker 1: it ends up being just a larger version of what 270 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:19,400 Speaker 1: you're already seeing at the convention Center, it's not necessarily 271 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:23,400 Speaker 1: going to be a huge boon to Las Vegas. It's 272 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 1: not really built in such a way to significantly reduced 273 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,800 Speaker 1: traffic in the Las Vegas area. There's actually a really 274 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:38,639 Speaker 1: good video about this by Daniel Cooper from Engadget called 275 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:43,119 Speaker 1: Elon Musk's Las Vegas Loop could have been Great. Highly 276 00:17:43,119 --> 00:17:46,200 Speaker 1: recommend you check it out. It's really informative on this subject. 277 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:49,080 Speaker 1: And I might have to do a full episode about 278 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:52,760 Speaker 1: this to talk about what was promised, what was delivered, 279 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:57,680 Speaker 1: how might that evolve into something more useful, and why 280 00:17:57,760 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: it doesn't really resemble anything when we you know, we're 281 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:03,840 Speaker 1: talking about the hyper loop years ago, because this is 282 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:07,840 Speaker 1: not a hyper loop style system. A group of companies 283 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:12,320 Speaker 1: including Lockeed Martin, Voyager Space, and nano Rax have announced 284 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 1: their intent to design, build, and deploy a privately run 285 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:19,880 Speaker 1: space station by the year twenty seven. If you listen 286 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:22,679 Speaker 1: to my episodes about space stations, you know that the 287 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:26,639 Speaker 1: International Space Station is getting up there in years. Components 288 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:28,960 Speaker 1: that were meant to last just ten to fifteen years 289 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:32,959 Speaker 1: are well past that now. The earliest modules that were 290 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:36,320 Speaker 1: launched we'll be closing in on thirty years old in 291 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 1: just a couple of years. So NASA has encouraged the 292 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:43,600 Speaker 1: private sector to get involved in this space pun intended. 293 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:47,480 Speaker 1: I guess the proposed station that these companies are are 294 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:50,760 Speaker 1: going to build has the name star Lab, and it 295 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:53,080 Speaker 1: would be much much smaller than the I S S. 296 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:56,200 Speaker 1: It would accommodate only up to four astronauts at a time, 297 00:18:56,640 --> 00:19:00,800 Speaker 1: and like the earliest space stations, this would be a 298 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 1: monolithic design. Now that means it would be a single 299 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:08,119 Speaker 1: launch that would carry the full space station up to orbit. 300 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:12,199 Speaker 1: It would not be modular like the International Space Station is. 301 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:14,240 Speaker 1: Like the I S S has grown over the years 302 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:17,520 Speaker 1: because we've added more modules to it over time, kind 303 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:21,040 Speaker 1: of like a giant tinker toy in space. This version 304 00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:24,800 Speaker 1: star Lab would be a single thing that we launch 305 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:29,239 Speaker 1: once up into low Earth orbit. Uh, and kind of 306 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:32,239 Speaker 1: like the BIGELO module that's connected to the I S S. 307 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:35,879 Speaker 1: The idea is that this space station that the habitable 308 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:40,240 Speaker 1: part anyway, will be an inflatable structure, which is part 309 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: of the reason why you can launch it in one go. 310 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:46,000 Speaker 1: If it's inflatable, then you can have it deflated when 311 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:48,199 Speaker 1: you're on the ground and then wait till you're in 312 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:51,720 Speaker 1: space to inflate and expand it to its full size. 313 00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:54,760 Speaker 1: As for what the station will be used for, that 314 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:58,960 Speaker 1: could include everything from scientific research to industrial research, to 315 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:03,600 Speaker 1: space tourism, so you know, the typical stuff that we 316 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:08,200 Speaker 1: tend to hear about when we talk about private space exploration. 317 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:11,000 Speaker 1: The f d A has approved a particular use of 318 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:15,120 Speaker 1: virtual reality to treat people who have amblyopia. I hope 319 00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 1: I said that correctly. Uh. This refers to the condition 320 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:21,480 Speaker 1: that most of us know as lazy eye. So with ambliopia, 321 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:24,920 Speaker 1: the brain begins to rely more on one eye than 322 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:28,400 Speaker 1: the other, and communication between the brain and the other 323 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:31,960 Speaker 1: eye breaks down a bit. The traditional way that we've 324 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:34,679 Speaker 1: treated ambleiopia is to use stuff like an eye patch 325 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:37,919 Speaker 1: over the good eye, the stronger eye, and this forces 326 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:40,600 Speaker 1: the brain to re establish connections with the other eye. 327 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:43,800 Speaker 1: Kind of it's kind of like strength training for your eye, 328 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:47,240 Speaker 1: and it helps counteract the effects of amblopia. Well, the 329 00:20:47,359 --> 00:20:51,560 Speaker 1: VR approach presents two similar images while you know, you 330 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:55,920 Speaker 1: watch video, so each eye is getting a slightly different image. 331 00:20:56,119 --> 00:21:00,400 Speaker 1: The stronger eye gets a lower contrast version, so details 332 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 1: are harder to make out for the stronger eye, and 333 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,080 Speaker 1: so the weaker eye needs to get a little more 334 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:09,439 Speaker 1: love from the brain for the images to make sense. Also, 335 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:14,879 Speaker 1: the VR uses some overlays on each image, and the 336 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:18,560 Speaker 1: overlays block a little bit of the user's view. It's 337 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:22,919 Speaker 1: only by combining the view from each eye that you 338 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:25,080 Speaker 1: get a full image in the brain. So the brain 339 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: can do this. We're not even conscious of it when 340 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:30,320 Speaker 1: it happens. The brain just handles it. But these are 341 00:21:30,359 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 1: little elements that can be introduced virtually that ultimately make 342 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:38,480 Speaker 1: our brains work with a specific eye to have it, 343 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:41,240 Speaker 1: you know, get up to speed. So it's kind of 344 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:44,200 Speaker 1: like the eye patch approach in a way. It forces 345 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:47,960 Speaker 1: the brain to rely more on the affected eye, the 346 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:51,280 Speaker 1: one with amblopia, but it does so while the user 347 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:54,199 Speaker 1: also is watching something that they would like to see, 348 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:56,920 Speaker 1: you know, instead of wearing an eyepatch. They're watching movies, 349 00:21:57,280 --> 00:21:59,479 Speaker 1: and wearing an eyepatch can bring with it a bit 350 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:01,879 Speaker 1: of a social stigma. However, you know that is actually 351 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:05,040 Speaker 1: something that we should really address as a society. Anyway, 352 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:07,399 Speaker 1: this whole issue with able is um but you know, 353 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:09,440 Speaker 1: you get my meaning. Like it's it's one of those 354 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:14,679 Speaker 1: ways where you can do this therapy that doesn't require 355 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 1: you to wear an eye patch or use eye drops, 356 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 1: or maybe you use it in conjunction with that, but 357 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:22,800 Speaker 1: it's one way to train up your your strength. I 358 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:24,920 Speaker 1: think it's cool that the FDA has approved this type 359 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: of therapy and hopefully we'll see it rolled out to 360 00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:30,040 Speaker 1: a broader scale in the near future. Sony has received 361 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:32,280 Speaker 1: approval from the U S Patent Office for a patent 362 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,760 Speaker 1: that allows for a system in which participants and spectators 363 00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 1: of multiplayer video games could vote to ban players from 364 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:43,640 Speaker 1: the game. The patent calls for a few different implementations 365 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:47,320 Speaker 1: of this idea. So, for example, imagine that you're watching 366 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:51,240 Speaker 1: a competitive multiplayer game and there's one player who is 367 00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:54,879 Speaker 1: consistently performing below the skill level of everybody else in 368 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:59,200 Speaker 1: the game, and the participants or maybe the spectators might 369 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:02,879 Speaker 1: vote to inch that person, just removing them from play. 370 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:06,240 Speaker 1: But there's another implementation that suggests a scenario in which 371 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 1: spectators could pay to vote someone out of a competitive 372 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:14,760 Speaker 1: multiplayer game. Sony calls for a system that would require 373 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:18,639 Speaker 1: at least a sixty percent majority to actually vote to 374 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:21,200 Speaker 1: remove someone from a game. However, I think you could 375 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:24,880 Speaker 1: easily imagine a scenario where this would become inherently unfair. 376 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:29,320 Speaker 1: For example, let's say you've got a favorite streamer who 377 00:23:29,359 --> 00:23:34,640 Speaker 1: plays online in competitive multiplayer games. So maybe you're watching 378 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:39,879 Speaker 1: them actively play live online and they're doing great, But 379 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:43,280 Speaker 1: then you also find out that some other really good 380 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 1: player has joined the game. They're on the opposite team, 381 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:51,120 Speaker 1: and so you and your fellow fans all banded together 382 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:54,720 Speaker 1: to pitch in some money and vote the other player off, 383 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 1: because that way, your favorite has a better chance of 384 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:04,480 Speaker 1: winning because you've removed their most uh most difficult competition 385 00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:07,919 Speaker 1: in the game. That doesn't sound fair, right, Well, you 386 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,239 Speaker 1: can probably imagine a lot of different ways that this 387 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:14,640 Speaker 1: particular system could potentially be abused. Now, this is just 388 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:17,959 Speaker 1: a patent, it is not an actual implementation. Sony has 389 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:22,000 Speaker 1: not said it's actually going to make this become a reality. 390 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:25,000 Speaker 1: They might not do anything with the idea. They might 391 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:27,760 Speaker 1: have patented it just so that way, if anyone else 392 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:30,000 Speaker 1: tries to make something similar, Sony can say, hey, you 393 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:32,280 Speaker 1: can't do that unless you pay us first, because we 394 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:35,080 Speaker 1: patented it, so you have to license that idea from us. 395 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:37,439 Speaker 1: Or who knows, maybe in a year or so we'll 396 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:40,200 Speaker 1: see video games like a gladiator sport where the crowd 397 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:43,400 Speaker 1: votes to get rid of unfavored players. That doesn't sound 398 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:47,240 Speaker 1: particularly fun to me, and I hope it doesn't happen. Finally, 399 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:50,240 Speaker 1: a group of museums in Vienna encountered a bit of 400 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 1: a problem. They were uploading images of works of art 401 00:24:53,359 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 1: to social media platforms, but some of these works of 402 00:24:56,520 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 1: art had naked people in them. So ancient works, classical works, 403 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,399 Speaker 1: modern works sometimes you know, they depict nude figures and 404 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:07,159 Speaker 1: it's art, And I'm sure that doesn't come as a 405 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:09,719 Speaker 1: shock to you. I'm certain you've encountered some of it 406 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 1: in the past, and yet you live to tell the tale. 407 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:17,760 Speaker 1: But apparently this shocked various social media platforms, or at 408 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:21,680 Speaker 1: least it triggered their content moderation systems, and several museums 409 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:26,600 Speaker 1: found their social accounts banned or temporarily restricted or muted. 410 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:29,960 Speaker 1: So they did the only sensible thing. They got together 411 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:34,560 Speaker 1: and they created an only fans account. Yep, only fans, 412 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 1: the platform perhaps best known as a site that hosts 413 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:45,359 Speaker 1: creators who make adult content, you know, the sexy kind. Well, 414 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:50,399 Speaker 1: the Museums formed an account called Vienna laid Bear, saying 415 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:54,200 Speaker 1: it was an effort to counteract the quote unquote prudishness 416 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 1: of the modern social network platforms, which frequently clamped down 417 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:02,359 Speaker 1: on socially risky material in an effort to appease stakeholders 418 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:07,240 Speaker 1: and the various financial institutions that facilitate payments to these networks. 419 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:10,840 Speaker 1: And I think this is kind of brilliant. It's a 420 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:14,720 Speaker 1: great pr move for the Museums. It elevates only fans, 421 00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:18,080 Speaker 1: and it highlights how these social network policies are often 422 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:22,639 Speaker 1: poorly constructed and executed. And now if someone sees that 423 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:25,760 Speaker 1: you visit only fans, you can say I only go 424 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 1: there for the art. While that wraps up this episode 425 00:26:29,119 --> 00:26:32,240 Speaker 1: of tech Stuff. If you have, you know, ideas for 426 00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 1: things I should talk about in future episodes of tech Stuff, 427 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:37,520 Speaker 1: reach out to me on Twitter. The handle for the 428 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:41,240 Speaker 1: show is Text Stuff H s W and I'll talk 429 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:50,240 Speaker 1: to you again really soon. Text Stuff is an I 430 00:26:50,359 --> 00:26:53,840 Speaker 1: heart Radio production. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 431 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:57,359 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 432 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:01,160 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows. Eight